


The Badlands Family

by jack-of-alltrades (bumblebeeJacky)



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Badlands Family, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Short & Sweet, adding my own tag for this, and the rest of the badlands just accepts it, brothers skeppy and quackity in one or two chaps, found family except sam keeps adopting the kids of the smp, just some of them, lbr, no beta we die like men, not all of these are related, oneshots?, the awesamdad content i hope we all wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:26:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 25,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28907790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumblebeeJacky/pseuds/jack-of-alltrades
Summary: "I honestly couldn't ask for a better dad."(Many oneshots about random varying family aus)
Relationships: Antfrost/VelvetIsCake (Video Blogging RPF), Cara | CaptainPuffy/Niki | Nihachu, Darryl Noveschosch/Sam | Awesamdude
Comments: 19
Kudos: 310
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	1. Family

Most people thought Bad and Skeppy either met first, or had just... Always known each other. Platonic soulmates that knew each other from birth and then on. And in a way, it was as though they _had_ known each other all their lives. Sure, they had quite the amount of fights, but the immense love they held for each other always brought them right back together.

Ranboo and Tubbo were the first ones to find out first, when they were spending time with the young man and Ranboo softly inquired about Bad, and how Skeppy knew him. The boys were the first to find out from Skeppy himself that Bad wasn't his boyfriend, or his dad, or anything like that.

They were family, to be sure, but the only one Skeppy would call a brother was AntFrost.

So Tubbo blurted out his own question - if Bad isn't Skeppy's father, who is? Does Skeppy even _have_ parents?

The dark haired boy laughed, fingers gently scratching at the diamonds embedded in his own skin like freckles as he glanced over toward the looming prison. They knew just how complicated the structure was, and they knew exactly who ran it.

"Sam is my dad," Skeppy said, surprising the two. "He found me when I was tiny and all alone. He raised me. Bad... Bad found Ant abandoned in a village, and he raised Ant himself." Skeppy looked at the two, offering a happy smile that was returned from the two. He looked back over, as did they, to see Sam stepping out of the giant structure, the tall, fluffy creeper stepping back to proudly examine his own work.

"Sam _saved_ me," Skeppy continued, voice softening as he tugged his sleeves over his hands. "And when he met Bad, they formed the Badlands, and Ant and I were raised together... Ant's my brother, always will be. And..." He trailed off when Sam looked over, caught his eyes from where they were sitting on the mansion roof, and the creeper grinned wide, waving at his son.

A message popped up on his communicator that Ranboo and Tubbo could see when he held it up.

_Awesamdude whispers to Skeppy: Be careful, and remember to eat later! I love you : )_

Skeppy huffed a laugh, easily tapping his own message back.

_Skeppy whispers to Awesamdude: prison looks sicck, dude. well b safe n ill eat later. love u too <3_

"I honestly couldn't ask for a better dad."


	2. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is the best dad Skeppy could ask for; he cares for the boys, he protects them, he teaches them and above all, he loves them.
> 
> So why can't he share his dad with his friend, too?

"Please don't cry..."

The words were whispered, desperation lacing the little boy's tone as the older rubbed furiously at his eyes, hiccuping.

Skeppy didn't know what to do, watching his new friend cry over his missing father - or rather, it's not that Wilbur was _missing_ so much as it was him constantly paying more attention to others rather than his own son.

It was that the little fox hybrid was missing someone who wasn't missing him, even at such a young age.

Floundering at what to do, Skeppy did the best thing he could think of. Fundy froze, slowly looking up. Skeppy was pressed against the little fox, diamond encrusted arms wrapped around Fundy's neck as he whispered words the other boy could barely make out.

But after a tense moment, Fundy melted into the hug wrapping his own arms around Skeppy, paws gently gripping the boy's hoodie.

"Come- come on, okay? Come with me," Skeppy uttered a minute later as he pulled back. "Trust me, okay? I- I know we only just met, but trust me. I don't wanna hurt you."

Fundy could make that decision. He could follow Skeppy and trust him, or he could get up, walk home to a father who barely ever notices when he leaves, and carry on with his day...

He stood up, and gently accepted a tan hand in his own paw, letting his new friend lead him down the wooden path to his home.

It only took a couple minutes, and when they arrived home, Skeppy looked at Fundy, gently squeezing his paw and resting his free hand on it - something meant to comfort, Fundy realized, as Skeppy turned his head to call out, "Dad? I'm home! I brought a friend!"

Of all the things Sam expected as he stepped out of his workspace to greet his son, it wasn't a fox hybrid with tears running down his cheeks, ears lowered flat to his head.

And Skeppy looked so sad too, leading Sam to walk over to them quickly, crouching down to their height as he lifted his welding helmet, the creeper looking over both of the boys for any injury before one hand rested firm on Skeppy's upper arm, the other hovering over Fundy's - he didn't know if it was okay, and he wouldn't touch the boy without the okay. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

"Fundy's dad is mean," Skeppy told him quietly, squeezing Fundy's paw he kept holding tight in his own two. "Can you be his new dad? 'Cause you're the best, 'n Fundy deserves the best!" The little diamond boy confidently declared, giggling when Fundy tugged his paw back to gently push him, fighting back a little smile. He didn't expect Skeppy to say that, nor did he want him to, but his new friend was so nice to him...

"Are you okay with contact?" Sam asked then, giving the fox a comforting smile to soothe as he considered before nodding. "Do you want a hug?"

Another nod.

Just like that, Fundy was being tugged into a gentle hug by the creeper. Not just him, but Skeppy as well, the two holding Fundy between them with smiles on their faces.

"You'll always be welcome here, Fundy," Sam uttered. "Don't be shy, it's okay. Are you boys hungry? Ant just woke up from his nap, and Bad went hunting this morning."

Both of them cheered at the prospect of food and just like that, Fundy was accepted into the Badlands family.

It was funny learning who Ant was; the cat hybrid looked so sleepy as he finally walked into the kitchen in his pajamas, a void demon following behind him.

Fundy didn't have any time to even _consider_ being afraid before Skeppy yelled, "Bad!" and threw himself into the demon, giggling when he was, of course, caught in the air, the demon's tail wagging as he hugged the boy.

"Hello, S'geppy!"

Fundy's younger friend seemed to melt against the demon, giggling against the checkered bandana around Bad's neck as he was hugged tight before he was set down.

"Bad, Ant, meet my new friend!"

"Skeppy, you're so _loud_ ," Ant complained, a paw rubbing at his eyes. Nevertheless, he held his free paw out to Fundy, a smile on his face as his tail flicked in the air. "Nice to meet you! I'm AntFrost."

Fundy hesitated, his own tail fluffing up and his ears twitching. Ant tilted his head a little and Fundy finally took his paw, shaking it gently. "Um- I'm- I'm Fundy..."

Neither Bad nor Ant could say a word about the boy or his wardrobe before Skeppy was throwing his arms around the fox, hanging off his side as he beamed at them. "Fundy's _so_ cool! He's the fastest person ever! An' he's my new brother!"

Bad's brows furrowed, glancing toward his creeper companion who had a hand over his mouth, struggling to contain his laughter as Ant lit up. "So you're my brother too then now!"

The adults didn't even get a say in the matter, not that they were about to protest.

The five ate lunch together, most conversation consisting of facts about each other, Fundy getting to know the family while being the first one to constantly hush Skeppy when the diamond boy was too loud in his excitement.

Skeppy, for his part, had it in him to look properly chastised, finally quieting down and eating his food. Worried he may have upset him, Fundy turned to him, the other three simply watching with smiles as the fox wrapped his arms around Skeppy, leaning out of his seat to give him a tight _squeeze_ before he released him, returning to his food.

He wasn't oblivious to the quiet delight in Skeppy's face as the boys finished their food in record time, all three running off to play with promises to stay in the backyard this time.

"So we're taking in strays now?" Bad teased, an arm wrapped around Sam's neck as the two watched from the window.

"Skeppy said his father is mean," Sam confided, watching the sad look cross Bad's face as they watched their boys roughhouse, giggling themselves stupid in the grass. "He asked if I could be his new dad because I'm the best, and Fundy deserves the best." Sam continued, word for word as Bad tensed.

"Who's his father?"

"I'm not sure. His name sounds a bit familiar, though. Fundy, Fundy, Fundy..."

"Fundy... Soot?"

Both of them fell silent, nausea twisting in their stomachs. Silence fell for so long before Sam broke it.

"I told Fundy he's always welcome." Bad nodded immediately, swallowing thickly. He'd always been the more emotional, the more sensitive of the two. "Good, good..."

"Oh, Bad.." Sam uttered, drawing Bad into a tight hug, a firm hand rubbing his back as the demon held onto him. "Saaaam..."

"I know, I know..." Sam chuckled softly, resting his chin on the top of Bad's head as he looked outside.

Seemed the boys tired of roughhousing and instead, they were all laying together. Ant was clearly on his way back to falling asleep on one side of Skeppy, and Fundy had his head resting on Skeppy's stomach, the three watching the clouds.

Sam swallowed too, squeezing Bad gently. It was the calmest they'd almost ever seen Skeppy. So they made a plan. Fundy was part of the family, even if it _wasn't_ official.

As long as Fundy was at their sides, in their home, so much as spending even a minute with their children, he was family, and they would do their best to protect him.

Because as family, as the Badlands, that's what they do.

It's the same as it always has been. They worry, they care, they protect each other, all out of _love_.

And now that Love has been extended to Fundy as well, and it'd never be taken away.


	3. Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something scared Fundy and Skeppy.
> 
> (i should have more sam in the next one tbh)

"It should work, it was _supposed to work_!" Skeppy hissed as his fingers dug into his knees, glaring at the table and the brewing stand in front of him.

Fundy was pacing behind him, the two teenagers hidden in a shitty cobblestone building they took cover in, in a village long since abandoned. As long as they had shelter until they got it together.

It's not that they _wanted_ to be out so late. Something had frightened the teenagers and instead of calling for help when they saw the glint of white in the shadows, Skeppy grabbed Fundy's paw and bolted. Nothing about that glimpse said they'd make it out of this encounter with their lives intact, and Skeppy wasn't about to risk his friend to find out.

He knew how to fight, but that was for things they _knew_ about, like creepers or skeletons or zombies. Not something so clearly wearing a mask in the darkness.

It was familiar but in the burst of fear and adrenaline, neither could pinpoint _why_.

"It was supposed to _work_!" The diamond boy shouted this time, slamming his fist onto the obsidian before hissing, drawing back with his hand held close to his chest. He didn't know potions like Bad, and he had yet to be taught to speak the language enough to _enchant_.

Whatever was out there, they'd have nothing special to defend themselves against it.

"Skeppy!" Fundy gasped, kneeling beside him to look at his hand. Skeppy never did well with pain; he had such a low tolerance, and a fit of rage wasn't going to help them. He gave the diamond boy's hand a gentle squeeze when he whined, examining the faint red mark. "You almost cut yourself, you idiot," he uttered fondly, ears twitching before sighing, glancing toward the wooden door behind them.

"We have to make the call," Fundy uttered, but Skeppy flushed, shaking his head. "I can't! You _saw_ the fight we had this morning, Fundy, I can't- I don't-" Fundy pulled Skeppy close, holding his friend tight as the diamond boy fought for his words, fingers clenching tight into his jacket.

" _I can't prove I'm weak_."

Fundy bit his lip, glancing toward the door again as he rubbed his friend's back. He was always so much more easily enraged, so much more _emotional_ than the others.

The one trait Skeppy had well and truly gotten from Bad.

"I know," Fundy breathed, ruffling black locks before he leaned back to look Skeppy in the eyes. "I _know_. You know how it is with my dad too." Skeppy, reluctantly, nodded a little. When Fundy rested a paw against his cheek, Skeppy put his hand over it without any hesitation.

"I know," Skeppy breathed, closing his eyes. His nose scrunched as he fought back tears, and Fundy swallowed thickly. Who was near, who could they call on for protection from something they didn't even _know..._

"Puffy?" Skeppy seemed to perk up at this. Sure, he got jealous quite a few times of the attention she demanded from Bad sometimes, but Puffy was _kind_ , always so sweet and understanding, and if he needed help? If he needed _protection_? He knew she'd be there.

"Okay." Skeppy finally agreed, pulling out his communicator with shaking hands. "Okay."

Fundy seemed to wrap himself around Skeppy, moving behind him to wrap his arms around his neck and lean over his shoulder as the diamond boy typed his message.

_Skeppy whispers to CaptainPuffy: u there? need help_

It took a couple minutes, and every moment in silence in the worn down building put the nervous boys more and more on edge.

Just when they thought maybe nothing would happen, maybe they'd be _okay_ , they were proven wrong.

A heavy knock came from behind the door.

The two tensed, Fundy's tail fluffing up. Skeppy's idea of blocking the windows with wood was a temporary relief as they scrambled up the ladder, working their way higher up to the top of the building.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck..._

Bad would have a field day shouting at Skeppy for his foul language. Or perhaps he wouldn't if he knew what they were going through.

Perhaps not.

"Quiet, quiet!" Skeppy hissed as they curled up in a corner under some cobwebs, clinging to each other as they waited. Another knock from downstairs had them whimpering, shaking like leaves.

_Ding!_

Skeppy violently yanked his communicator out, nearly throwing it out onto the cobblestone if not for Fundy's steadying paws against his.

_CaptainPuffy whispers to Skeppy: Where are you?_

When Skeppy's hands shook too much to type, Fundy took over, letting the diamond boy hide his face in the fox's shoulder as he typed around his friend.

 _Skeppy whispers to CaptainPuffy: The abandoned village close to the woods in the cobblestone building. We don't know what it is and we don't have weapons_.

_CaptainPuffy whispers to Skeppy: omw_

It was the most relief they felt all night, the two nearly crying tears of _relief_ , but it was no time to celebrate.

Another _thud_ , a voice that sounded nearly _disembodied_ calling for them. " _Oh Skeppy, oh Fundy..._ "

Oh _fuck_.

It knew their names.

Fundy was dead silent, holding tightly to Skeppy as the shorter of the two stifled his cry into his chest. Skeppy liked to put on a brave face constantly, to pretend he could take on the whole damn world singlehandedly if he wanted, but he never handled fear well. This wasn't fake, this wasn't some prank he'd pull on Bad to laugh about later.

This wasn't the brave face that caused the screaming match between the diamond and the demon earlier that day.

The door was broken into splinters down below, the two tucking themselves further in the corner. Fundy's ears flattened to his head, adjusting himself as his friend clung tight. Skeppy was like a _beacon_ ; if something came upstairs to find them, Skeppy's blue gems and hoodie would be like a big neon sign that said _'We're Right Here!'._

Tucking his tail between his legs and covering them with his black jacket seemed like the best call.

And when that _thing_ came up the ladder and didn't see them in that corner immediately, Fundy considered it a win.

Fundy thought everything would go to absolute _shit_ when Skeppy looked up and _gasped_ , preparing himself for the loss of a life, but when a woman's voice yelled their names from downstairs, the thing broke the upstairs window and made a break for it.

Puffy came up the ladder to find Skeppy downright _bawling_ into Fundy's chest, sputtering nonsense about _'the mask'_ and how much he wanted Bad.

The sheep woman's expression softened at the sight, and it took a few minutes to soothe him back down from tears, but it seemed neverending.

Skeppy couldn't give her any particular details, hiccuping and choking on his words each time he tried. He looked paranoid, he looked _terrified_ , and Fundy was the one to softly suggest they try to talk about it _tomorrow_.

She agreed, netherite sword held tight in her grip as she walked the two boys back home, Skeppy held up on Fundy's back and clinging as tightly as he could without hurting him.

"Skeppy!"

Bad's shout startled them a little, but it was a relief to see the lanterns of their little mountain home Sam and Bad put together side by side to raise their boys safely in.

Fundy was quick to let Skeppy down when he shifted, letting the diamond boy throw himself into Bad's chest as a whole new round of tears began. Bad had tears of his own in his eyes, but he held it back, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he rubbed his back, hushing him.

When he and Sam got the story from Fundy, Bad held the boy that much tighter, lifting him up as though the boy weighed nothing carrying him inside as Puffy, Fundy and Sam followed.

Ant woke up to the sounds, popping out of his bedroom only to bolt out at the sight of his little brother in such a wrecked state.

It took even longer to calm Skeppy down enough for him to fall asleep, Fundy fidgeting in the doorway as he watched the nether demon put the boy to bed, tucking him in and shushing any whines of his name. "Can I stay?" Fundy asked, heart warmed when Bad silently untucked and lifted the edge of Skeppy's blanket.

He expected Bad to just set the edge down when he was under and leave, but he was treated to the same soft treatment. A soft kiss to his forehead, a gentle whisper of, "You're safe here, I'm so glad you're home," and Bad's fingers gently tucking the blanket back in around him before he was turning the lantern out and stepping out.

Ant was harder to put back to bed, but Sam took over lifting the cat hybrid and carrying him back to his room.

That left the demon and the sheep.

"It's _him_ ," Bad uttered, absolute _venom_ lacing his tone. "Bad," she chided, "You can't go after him. You can't even prove it's him. For all we know, they saw a skeleton, or they saw him in the dark and got scared."

The look Bad sent her silenced her very quickly.

"Did you not see the way S'geppy was _crying_ , Puffy? I haven't seen him like that in... In _so long_. I haven't had to tuck him in, in _so long_."

Reluctantly, Puffy nodded with a sigh. "What will you do, then? You won't do anything without reason, I _know_ you. You can't even prove he was trying to hurt or scare them, he's been pretty distracted with Wilbur lately." Bad scowled, crossing his arms.

"I'm going to talk to him." She furrowed her brows, ears twitching as she eyed her friend. "To fight?"

"To talk."

"You seem pretty angry right now, Bad."

"Because I am. But I don't do things without reason."

That settled her, and she nodded slowly. "I'll stay the night here in case they wake up. Bad... Be safe. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Swallowing, Bad nodded as he picked up his trident from his inventory. "Tell Sam I'll be safe and I'll be back soon."

Puffy's encouraging smile was the last thing he saw before he stepped into the water pool by the farm and set off further and further into the woods.

It didn't take much time for Bad to land hard in front of a little cottage, large trees looming above as he walked down the path lined with flowers that Bad himself placed.

No one was inside, but he could see a figure on the back porch, so he opened the door and stepped up beside him, looking up at the stars in silence.

Slowly, Bad turned his head to look at his friend, to eye the smiley face mask abandoned on a nearby table before his gaze ran over the scars littering one of his oldest friend's face. Said friend didn't even glance at Bad once, eyeing the stars and constellations above. "Evening, Bad."

He gripped the railing tight.

"Hello, Dream."


	4. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took months to finally get him to stop apologizing for waking them up when he couldn't sleep.
> 
> It took even longer to convince him to actively wake them up.

They were trying, they really were. No one could say they didn't put in effort, not that they were ever going to _stop_ putting in that effort.

Ever since Sam had come home with a terrified, dirty and hungry human, their lives had changed. For the better, the demon would say. It was like the puzzle piece they never knew was missing finally came home, clicked into place as Sam gave the boy a bath and Bad made dinner.

Ant was endlessly intrigued by the boy, and when Skeppy, just a curious little child, had reached over and ran gentle fingers along the fur on his cheek, Ant purred and pushed his head against the human's hand, starting a giggle fit that had Bad and Sam laughing too.

But the boy had nightmares. Every single time he closed his eyes to sleep, he'd wake up terrified, sometimes with screams. It scared the three every time it happened, and it took _months_ to finally get him to stop apologizing for waking them up when he couldn't sleep.

It took even longer to convince him to actively wake them up.

One night, he did wake someone up. It just wasn't who they'd hoped it'd be.

No, Skeppy didn't run to Bad and Sam. He went to the room across from his, nervously waking up Ant and glancing toward the door in the dark every few seconds as he stuttered out an explanation over his tears.

It damn near gave Sam and Bad a heart attack when they found Skeppy's bed empty early in the morning, too early for their boys to be up, but the fear was instantly soothed when they checked Ant's room to find the cat hybrid spooned with Skeppy, curled around his little brother with a purr rumbling in his chest as the boys slept on.

They were relieved he was opening up, starting to talk to them when he needed to and admitting when he needed help.

One night after, however, Bad and Sam were fast asleep, curled up together as always when the creaking door woke up both of them.

Bad woke up more slowly, huffing and rubbing at his eyes as Sam pushed himself up, the fluffy creeper squinting to see the two figures. Ant, ears flattened, holding the hand of his shorter little brother, Skeppy rubbing at his eyes with his free hand.

"Skeps had a bad dream," Ant whispered, approaching Sam's side of the bed with the sniffling little boy. "Oh, poor little buddy," Sam breathed, reaching down to lift Skeppy up and into his lap as Ant crawled up onto the bed too.

Soon, the boys were put between the couple, and Skeppy clung to Ant as he told them of the nightmare he had over and over, of the fire and his lost family and the mobs that overran a village they'd only heard of in stories from travelers.

Bad himself was in tears by the end of the boy's story, hugging Skeppy gently to his chest as he cooed over him, "Aw, S'geppy, it's okay," the nether demon breathed, peppering his face with kisses until Skeppy was giggling over his own tears. "We'll protect you, and we love you!"

"We'll never let anything happen to you," Ant agreed, taking Skeppy's free hand again in his own paw, squeezing it. Sam rested a hand over where his heart was, felt it melt in his chest as he watched his family.

Soon, they were settled, Ant and Skeppy squished together and cuddled up between the two. Sam leaned over the boys, pressing a kiss to his tired husband's forehead, smiling fondly at the tired grin Bad offered in return. "Goodnight, Bad," He breathed, reaching a hand across to hold the demon's as they settled back in to sleep.

"Mm... Love you.." Bad breathed, resting his head by Skeppy's as he drifted off. Squeezing his hand gently, Sam rested their joined hands over the boys. "I love you too, Bad..."


	5. Headbox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were better off thinking he could handle himself like he boasted about so, so often.

He started out without the derpy face box.

He was just a little boy with dark skin, fluffy black hair and diamonds scattered on his skin like freckles. He was an expressive child; easily enraged, easily saddened. He never liked it, being coddled, cooed at by his family, treated with what he thought roughly half the time was pity.

Things like scars came over the years, little things from wars and fights both minor and major, cruel souls that wanted his diamonds or people that used him for their own selfish goals, only to leave him in the dust after.

Skeppy never told Bad, Ant or Sam about these situations; they were best left _not_ worrying about him.

They were better off thinking he could handle himself like he boasted about so, so often.

One day, Bad caught him on a bad day. He was still so young, angry that while Ant could throw himself into danger, that Bad and Sam could face mobs and people head on and protect their family, but Skeppy was expected to stand back and be little more than a damsel in distress because he was clumsy with a sword.

Bad found him pacing the beach line, grumbling under his breath as he kicked stones around. When the demon caught his attention, Skeppy tried to school his expression into something calm, something less upset than he actually was.

He failed, he failed _badly_. Bad saw the tears near immediately, the slight wobble of his lips as he tried to hold it in. The demon held him tight despite Skeppy's whining, pushing him back with hissed swears and whined insults he didn't mean. "It's okay, S'geppy, we'll be okay," He uttered.

He was found out so quickly, called out on feeling anything but happy or angry. Bad spent _weeks_ treating the boy like he was fragile, like he was walking on eggshells around Skeppy. Watching his words, sending glances in his direction, checking on him more often than he had to each day. Ant and Sam seemed to follow after Bad's lead, treating him like he was just- some type of helpless toddler.

He made the headbox just a few days after, found a cardboard box set to be thrown away. Skeppy grabbed paint and markers, painted it blue and drew a stupid face and wore it around.

Sam, in his oxygen mask and Bad, constantly wearing a hood to cover his face, didn't mention the new addition to his wardrobe aside from some stifled laughs and comments of, "That's so cute!" and he had to be relieved.

No more stares, no more getting called out for tears he couldn't control, no more _'how are you?', 'are you okay?', 'you can talk to me if you want'_.

Maybe sometimes he felt bad about it, about getting furious and snapping at Bad for a stupid comment or an attempt to protect Skeppy in a situation he could _clearly_ handle, Bad had no way to gauge his reaction, no way to check in and know if it was even okay to bring up.

The headbox led to oh so many fights, but despite how worn it became over the years, it became his second biggest form of comfort next to his hoodie and Bad's hugs.

When everyone left to face Dream, Skeppy was left home, headbox in place to cover him from any possible prying eyes as he paced back and forth in front of the front door. He was waiting anxiously for Bad, Ant and Sam to return and tell him what happened.

He and Bad had quite the massive argument before Bad left, finally ending with Bad himself raising his voice at Skeppy.

_"I know Dream better than you do, **Skeppy**! You won't be able to help, you'll just get in the way if we fight! You need to **stay. Here.** "_

He felt nauseous, but nothing was going to come up (he knew it wouldn't; it already happened earlier not ten minutes after Bad left).

But the second they came through the front door, the boy was fighting back tears behind blue cardboard as he hovered nervously, watching Bad and Ant slowly take off their armor and put their things away.

They were both exhausted, going to plop down side by side wordlessly on the couch.

The two couldn't muster words, couldn't explain yet as they watched the diamond boy hover before bolting to the kitchen, only to return a couple minutes after with two cups of tea he was trying so hard to keep his hands steady to carry.

Bad and Ant drank tea, allowed themselves to be tucked under the blanket Skeppy offered up - his _own_ blanket, they noted, as they relaxed into the couch. "We're okay, you know," Bad finally said, watching to ensure his son nodded slowly before he really let himself relax.

But, unsettling for them both still, Skeppy continued to hover, shifting his weight foot to foot until Sam finally walked through the door as well.

Skeppy was instantly at his side, much to Sam's amusement, the much shorter one twitching his fingers and fidgeting for a second before insistently pointing to the couch, silent for once.

Uneasy about the whole day, Sam was reluctant to finally sit until Skeppy physically _pushed_ him toward the couch wordlessly, waiting until Bad said, sounding equally as tired as he was amused, "He won't stop until you sit, Sam," and the creeper hybrid finally sat down.

Just like Bad and Ant, Skeppy ran to the kitchen, brought out tea much quicker than before. Sam had to bite his lip to hold in laughter as the large hybrid carefully accepted the cup, holding it up when Skeppy lifted the blue blanket, considered it for a moment and ran upstairs instead.

He and Bad shared a look as Ant peacefully sipped his tea before the diamond boy ran back down, this time holding _Bad's_ blanket.

Bad snorted into his tea, coughing a little as Skeppy dropped it in Sam's lap in favor of rubbing the demon's back. "Breathe, breathe," He finally said as he patted his back a few times. Bad finally worked through it, breathing deep before giving Skeppy a smile. "I'm okay, S'geppy, we're okay." He said, gently grabbing onto Skeppy's free hand's wrist.

But Skeppy pulled away like he was burnt, holding his hand to his chest as he took a few steps back. He looked away from them, considering his options before he finally lifted Bad's blanket, wrapping it over Sam's lap with gentle hands before swallowing thickly as he backed away from the three further. "Uh... _Fuck_ , I..."

"Language!"

Skeppy didn't say anything from there, seeming to stare Bad down before he gave them just the slightest hint of a nod and bolted back upstairs.

They expected him to come back down, but he didn't, so they worked on finishing their tea, discussing the day under their breaths.

Ant was the first up, walking up the stairs to find his brother in his bed, curled up under a thin sheet and clearly holding a pillow over his head. The cat sat down, watching his brother for a moment before gently patting his stomach. "Scoot over," He said, and Skeppy immediately rolled onto his side, leaving more room for Ant.

Laying down, Ant wrapped his arms around Skeppy, dragging him close with a soft _huff_ that turned into a low purr when Skeppy offered up some of the sheet and returned the favor of a tight hold.

Bad and Sam took a bit longer, finishing their tea and putting Sam's things away before they went up to find them, found Skeppy still in his headbox with Ant curled around him.

"S'geppy," Bad cooed, going to the diamond boy's side of the bed. Dismayed, said boy pressed his hands against the headbox as though it was truly his face to cover. "S'geppy, you have to take it off to sleep, bud," the demon continued, Sam chuckling as he watched. Ant sat up slowly, pulling back to give them a moment.

"No," Skeppy breathed, voice cracking just the slightest bit. "I _need_ it."

"No, you don't, S'geppy, you need _sleep_. Can I take it off?"

"No!"

"I'll take off my hoodie, and Sam can take off his mask."

Silence.

Maybe that extra comfort of them being just as exposed as he was, was enough. It took him a few minutes before he slowly sat up in bed, nodding.

Bad was careful to remove the headbox, gentle as could be, and Skeppy seemed to lean into every gentle touch as Bad held his hands, squeezed his upper arms, gave him a quick but tight hug before those gentle yet clawed fingers were slowly lifting the cardboard.

And there he was, in all his tear stained, messy haired glory, staring at Bad through squinted and likely drying eyes.

"Come on, S'geppy, me and Sam's room is bigger," Bad uttered, waiting until Skeppy tossed the sheet back to simply lift him up altogether. The squeal was worth it when arms wound around his neck, holding onto the nether demon tightly as he wandered back downstairs with Ant in tow, both so, so quiet.

Sam got to see it too as, as per Bad and his prior agreement, he lifted off the oxygen mask and in return, the shivering diamond boy lifted his head up from Bad's shoulder.

Laying eyes on his face, Sam's own softened and it was just like when the cat and the diamond boy were tiny, pressed in the middle between their parents in the big bed when Skeppy had a bad dream and couldn't sleep on his own.

Bad wrapped his arms around Skeppy's waist, holding the boy tightly as Ant and Sam curled up beside them. Ant held Skeppy's hand, Sam reaching over to drape his arm across all three of them as Skeppy uttered against Bad, "I was- I was _worried_ ," He admitted softly, fingers clenching tightly into Bad's shirt. "Bad, Ant, Sam... I- I was _worried_ , I was so scared maybe you guys wouldn't come back, I... I don't..."

"Hey, shh," Ant was the one to shush him, causing Skeppy to turn and look at him despite the tears burning his eyes again. Ant smiled at his brother, pressing his nose against his cheek for a second for Skeppy to barely hold off giggling from the whiskers tickling his skin. "It's okay, Skep, we'll always come back," he continued.

Squeezing his hand, Ant began purring again. "We're okay, I promise."

"We won't leave you, kiddo," Sam breathed, shifting before leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead. Skeppy closed his eyes, sniffling softly as Sam added, "It'll be alright. _He's_ in prison, and he can't hurt anyone anymore. I'll make sure of that."

Squeezing him tightly again, Bad pressed his face against the back of Skeppy's neck, his tail draping over them much like Sam's arm. "We'll always be here, S'geppy... I'm sorry we worried you so much..."

God, he hated feeling so exposed.

But it was still nice sometimes to be so open, to not feel like he was keeping secrets every second he was alive. "I love you, S'geppy, so, _so_ much," The demon continued, hold tightening just that little bit when the diamond encrusted boy shook in his arms.

Sam brushed Skeppy's hair back as his eyes squeezed shut, pressing his cold nose against Ant's neck, soothed with the tight holds and soft purrs finally.

"We'll always be here. We're okay..."


	6. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't hate you."  
> (Pt. 1)

He never told them what happened, or whenever it happened. He never told them his numbers were dropping - at quite the fast pace, he might add.

He kept it from them, each time things were taken too far and he'd find himself in his bed, respawning. Once during war, once in a fight that went way too far...

_Once when-_

Bad's face stayed in his mind to the very end - perhaps because that was what he saw as he met his end.

A netherite sword through his gut, an enraged expression slowly turning into absolute horror, tears flooding glowing white eyes as his (ex?) husband coughed, shaking hands reaching up to push his silly mask he wore only for Tommy away. Tears landed on his green skin and fur, but all he did was smile. If he looked to the side, he'd see Tubbo sobbing into Tommy's chest who looked more shaken than he had in a long time, Ant was losing his lunch in the corner.

"It's okay, Bad," Sam whispered, the creeper raising a hand to rest on his cheek as the tears began to flow. "I don't- I don't hate you... But don't hurt them." It was perhaps the one and only time the corrupted man would listen.

Because he didn't expect to take Sam's last life.

He didn't _want_ to take Sam's last life.

But...

"I love you, Bad." _Poof_.

That was it.

Bad stared at the space his friend used to be in, knew he'd either respawn as a ghost and join Ghostbur, or he wouldn't respawn at all.

When glowing white eyes met Tommy and Tubbo, the blond hissed, "You're a _monster_." Before he was leaving with his friend, leaving Bad to face what he'd done all alone as Ant lost his mind behind him, fought between his own morality and the egg's influence due to the loss of one of his fathers.

Bad closed his eyes, letting the tears flow.

There was no taking this back. There was no rewinds.

And he had so many doubts Dream would _truly_ bring anyone back.

Not for the _good_ of the SMP. Not with the level of _good_ Sam was.

_"I'm so sorry, Sam..."_

When Skeppy got the news, he slammed the door of their shared home in Bad's face. He didn't lock it, but Bad could hear the thumps of his footsteps running upstairs to his room and the _slam!_ of his bedroom door.

He didn't ask, he didn't go after him. He didn't go back to the egg, and he didn't leave home.

Bad wasn't sure when he fell asleep on the couch, but when he woke up, the house was dark, the moon was high, and when he checked, Skeppy wasn't anywhere in the house.

_BadBoyHalo: Has anyone seen Skeppy?_

It barely took a minute.

_CaptainPuffy: what do you care >:c_

He winced, but didn't send another message. That answered his question, or gave him a hint anyway.

Bad dragged himself to his bedroom, falling asleep cold under his blankets for the first time in weeks.

Skeppy hadn't heard him go, spending the day and night hiding in his room and biding his time. When he was sure Bad was out, Skeppy snuck out on the roof with a packed inventory of what used to be their things.

 _Fuck you, Bad_ , he whispered as he took the valuables (that used to be _theirs_ ) before he snuck out, used the water below to break his fall.

Puffy's house was near enough by that Skeppy could walk there, shivering in the cold night air. His pjs were very much not warm enough for the winter, but he didn't care - anything to get away ~~from Bad~~.

He only hesitated for a moment before he was knocking on the door to her mushroom home and it only took her a moment to answer, a smile faltering at his fidgeting. "Can I spend the night here...? _Please,_ Puffy?"

"Skeppy, what happened?" The sheep hybrid cooed, ushering him inside, giving him a chest to put his things in and a bed to sit down on.

He hesitated but with a gentle push from her, Skeppy held her hands in his own and told her what he himself had been told. She looked horrified, pale at the story and, with hesitation, sent a message to the two teenagers, only to get the affirmative to a question she hoped she'd never have to ask.

"My dad is gone," Skeppy breathed, looked so... Empty, so tired as he gazed at the floor. "He was... Just trying to _protect_ them... I... Puffy, what do I do?"

She hesitated for a moment, staring at his headbox before (after asking outright to be certain), she removed it, allowing her to be witness to the tears flowing down his diamonds, the red staining his cheeks as he tried to hold it all in and the cracks in his armor forced him to let it out as much as the tight hug she pulled him into did.

He cried himself out in her arms, sobbed his heart out until the sun was up in the sky.

She tucked him in when he eventually fell asleep, sighing as she brushed his hair back before going back to work on her basement.

She wasn't about to leave him alone, not like this...


	7. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're going down, diamond boy!"
> 
> "You wish, bitch boy!"  
> (Pt. 2)

"You ready?"

Tommy met the others gaze and grinned, no longer taken off guard by half blue half red eyes like he used to be.

It was the first _light_ day in a long time. Everything was thrown into chaos with Sam gone, a ghost in his place unable to do anything other than offer comforting words and gentle hugs at times. Tommy had no idea what happened between the diamond boy and the nether demon that caused this, but he knew that Skeppy told the boy firmly, _"Something is going to change by the time I leave."_

To be fair, he held true.

All Tommy knew was he could see Bad in tears on the couch through the window of the quartz mansion, and Skeppy was storming out, a scowl on his face and a trident with _Mr. Pointy_ inscribed into the handle. _"Let's go, Tommy. We're done here,"_ the diamond boy had nearly hissed, and Tommy followed after.

He wasn't sure what really changed since Sam met his end. What he _did_ know was it seemed Skeppy took up the space Sam left. The diamond boy stepped up at the funeral, yanked Tommy into a firm hug and uttered against the somehow taller boy's shoulder, "I'll keep you safe, kid. I'm not going to leave you alone."

Tommy doubted it _so much_. He didn't think someone like Skeppy had it _in_ him to step up and take such a big spot in his life - in that void Sam left in his heart.

But Skeppy showed up at Tommy's doorstep _early_ the next morning. The sun was barely in the sky when the pounding on the door caught his attention, forcing the teenager to groggily drag himself out of bed and to the door.

And there, much to his surprise (and previous doubt), was Skeppy with a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. "Come on. We have plans today." "We do?" Despite Tommy's confusion and denial that he'll have anything to do with the man, he still trailed after him into the woods, nervously laughing as he joked, "You aren't gonna like, I don't know, _stab_ me or anything, are you?"

"What the _fuck?_ " Tommy looked over to see a horrified look on Skeppy's face. "Dude. Your joke sucks, I don't wanna fucking kill you," He said, digging into his inventory before he was handing Tommy another netherite axe. "Come on, we're collecting supplies. You wanna finish your stupid hotel, right? We're doing this ourselves."

That was...

Tommy wasn't sure what to say or how to feel about Skeppy, but this changed things, caused the boy to see him in a new light.

"So, uh..." Tommy started uneasily as he started chopping trees with Skeppy. "Who... Who was Sam? To you?"

_Thud._

He looked over to see the dark haired boy standing still, holding onto his axe still embedded in a tree. Before he could turn tail and run or stammer an apology, Skeppy straightened up with a whispered one of his own. "Sorry, I... I don't wanna scare you," Skeppy whispered, and... This was the most human Tommy ever saw him. It reminded him of Sam.

"Sam was... Sam was my.." He swallowed, fought back tears before he offered the blond the weakest smile he could barely muster. "I don't know if he told you, Tommy, but Sam was my dad... Found me, raised me, taught me... Bad, he's my other dad. Sam's husband. Ant, he's my brother..."

Tommy was certainly surprised; he never heard a single word of this, but it certainly explained a lot. The two stood in silence for a couple minutes, but... It was comfortable, standing together and listening to the birds and general sounds of the forest.

"Come on," Skeppy gave him a more real grin when he had time to calm down. "Get movin', we need to gather more supplies. I may not be Sam when it comes to building, but I'm not the _worst_ around, bitch boy."

"Hey!" Skeppy laughed as he seemed to dance around Tommy, avoiding any blow the blond tried to land on him out of frustration. It made Tommy smile too.

"You ready?"

Tommy felt almost jittery with excitement, gripping his own trident tightly, _Nightmare_ scrawled into the handle of his own.

Half blue and half red eyes met his, delight reflected in Skeppy's own face as the two stood in their own water pools under the rain.

"Now, Skeppy," Tommy started, looked so relaxed, so _casually_ mentioning, "Are you _sure_ you want to bet all those diamonds? I'd hate to take _all_ your valuables just like that!"

A lie, and they both knew it.

"You wish, _bitch boy_ , I'm gonna kick your ass! Now stop stalling!" Skeppy demanded, and Tommy nearly laughed. This was the competitive goof that boasted about how great he was, how he could win _any_ contest without breaking a sweat. Tommy was seeing that firsthand; they were quite the same at times, and this was one of those times. Competitive children.

"Ready?" Tubbo shouted from down below the water pools, standing beside Ranboo as the two counted down for the sort-of-brothers.

Skeppy and Tommy didn't have much time to think about the family they _both_ lost that day when they were constantly distracting and challenging each other, but they had to admit, it was nice to have someone taking up your time, waking you up in the morning or wishing you a nice night.

Even if they insulted each other more often than not.

"Go!"

Off they took with their tridents, the two more graceful than they'd ever been as they flew through the sky, rain pelting them and soaking the boys to the bone as they flew toward their finish line quite the distance away, the finish line Ranboo and Tubbo were _also_ heading towards to keep track of them.

"You're goin _down_ , diamond boy!" Tommy shouted, and Skeppy scoffed, voice barely heard over the booming thunder, "You _wish_ , bitch boy!"

Unfortunately for him (yet fortunately for Tommy), that distraction was all it took for Skeppy to lose momentum _right_ as they reached the finish line.

Tommy landed on his feet gracefully.

Skeppy's face met the mud.

Tommy was laughing himself stupid with Tubbo as the enderman, safe in his armor and helmet, helped the diamond encrusted boy off the ground. Mud and rain dripped down his skin, and as scathing a look he tried to give Tommy as he picked up _Mr. Pointy_ off the ground, Tommy only laughed harder at the _drowned rat_ look.

"Take that, Skeppy!" He shouted as the diamond went from looking endlessly _bitter_ to whining like a little kid. "No fair, you distracted me!"

"It's not _my fault_ you can't handle how much _better_ I am!"

Skeppy groaned loudly as Tubbo giggled into his hands, Ranboo smiling so fondly at the two teenagers.

The diamond boy looked over the three teenagers and for a moment, he forgot the situation he was in. Mud and rain water dripping from his hoodie and skin, making a mess of the glittering boy, Tommy soaked to the _bone_ as he laughed and boasted about how he beat Skeppy in a trident race, and Tubbo just as soaked as he laughed with his best friend.

"Come with me," Skeppy said, turning on his heel and walking back down the path.

Confused, all three followed after the boy, chattering among themselves as they went down the path. Skeppy was near silent and shivering, rubbing his arms over the hoodie as he walked. When Tommy started shivering, however, Skeppy tossed him a mischievous grin, asked, "You want my hoodie too?"

Tommy had only said, "Yeah, sure, I'll add the shirt off your back to my loot!" as a joke, but Skeppy yanked it off his head, standing in his dark colored t-shirt underneath as he yanked it over Tommy's head, making the boy pull it on. It _just_ fit him right, and he snorted when Skeppy yanked the hood up, and then down over his face.

But when he lifted the wet hood, he saw Skeppy, shivering but grinning so _fondly_ at him. "Come on, bitch boy, you're soaked. We gotta dry you kids off."

"I'm not a child!" Tommy protested, but Tubbo and Ranboo peacefully followed Skeppy, no denials to the comment.

Safe in the quartz mansion, they sat on the white couch, shaking as the diamond boy started a fire in the fireplace, running to and fro in the mansion until all three of them had clean, dry clothes (whether or not they fit the boys didn't matter (nothing Skeppy owned _really_ fit Tubbo or Ranboo but at least Bad's clothes fit Ranboo even if he didn't _really_ need them. Skeppy wanted him to feel like he fit in, doting on him as much as the other two. Tubbo looked like he was drowning in everything Skeppy offered)).

When he was finished, they were warming up, dry, sipping hot cocoa as Skeppy was off changing his own clothes now that the boys were settled.

"So, boys!"

They looked up to see him at the top of the stairs, smiling brightly down at them. Tommy swallowed, didn't say a word, but his mind ran a mile a minute for _only_ a minute. _Is this how Antfrost felt?_

"The storm is still goin', so it looks like I have three guests tonight. Bad's room is more furnished and the bed is bigger, so if you guys wanna take his for the night, have at it. We have extra beds somewhere," Skeppy offered, getting agreements and cheers from them.

Along the way through the night, they made jokes, played games, ate themselves sick on cookies Niki and Puffy had so kindly provided earlier that morning to Skeppy and when they went to bed, Tommy opted to join Skeppy while Tubbo and Ranboo shared Bad's, splitting it up to make room.

Or maybe he just wanted a different companion, Skeppy thought as Tommy got settled under the covers beside him.

"Goodnight, Tommy," Skeppy uttered. It was silent for a moment and Skeppy thought he was already asleep when Tommy turned to him, eyes closed, and responded, "Goodnight, Skeppy."

He was quiet, staring at the kid before a little chuckle left him, causing Tommy to open one eye to stare at him in the dark.

"Sweet dreams, little brother," He responded fondly, letting his own eyes close.

He didn't see Tommy's smile as the two finally fell asleep.


	8. Mute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skeppy, quite literally sick and tired, mistakes Tommy for someone else.
> 
> (a for effort. also probably kinda dialogue-heavy).  
> ((Pt. 3))

An arrow hit into his shield with a loud _thunk_ as he backed up, tensed as his back hit a tree and the skeleton drew back to fire again.

He was on half a heart, his companion was back home with a cold, and the moon was high in the sky threatening more to come and in all honesty, he was losing hope, mentally preparing himself for a respawn.

But a raspy shout drew his attention and the blond looked up to see his aforementioned companion that most _definitely_ should've been back home in bed. But no, here he was, yelling something out of frustration as he took out the skeleton with a sword that was not his.

He seemed light on his feet, and the teen wasn't sure how to feel about the way the diamond boy was staring at him for a moment before Skeppy seemed to stumble closer. "You 'kay, Mega..?"

Mega?

Squinting, Tommy stared him down, looked him in the eyes when Skeppy was in front of him - _where had his headbox gone?_ \- before he grabbed onto his arm, gripped the shorter man tight.

"Half a heart," He started with, watching Skeppy offer up what little food he had half a mind to bring with him.

"Who's Mega?"

"s... you. You're Mega?"

Skeppy sounded confused, a little snort turning into a coughing fit when Tommy replied, "Mega _awesome_ maybe."

Tommy and Skeppy supported each other on their walk back to their shared base, exchanging few words in the meantime.

"Why are you up? You're still sick."

"Woke up... Couldn't find you."

"Aw, were you worried about me?"

"You wish, fuckin'... Uncute mute."

"I'm not mute."

"Wish you were."

By the time the two reached home, Skeppy was much less talkative, ignoring Tommy's little quips and comments until the teenager fell into silence as well. Tommy let the diamond man stumble off back to his room while he pulled off his armor, put his things away and got settled for the night.

Lying in bed, however, Tommy couldn't stop thinking, natural curiosity pestering him with that constant thought - who was Mega? Why did Skeppy call him that? Was Mega a mute? - until Tommy got up, heading off to his friend's room.

Of course he didn't hesitate to wake Skeppy up again, watching the clear grumpy mood settle over the sick man at having been woken up less than three hours after he'd already been up. "What the fuck do you want?" He asked, voice raspy. Before Tommy could say anything, Skeppy pushed himself up a little, coughing into his elbow.

After Tommy retrieved him water, he sat on the edge of the bed, letting him drink before he asked, "Who's Mega?"

Skeppy seemed to freeze with the water bottle still at his lips. The blond narrowed his eyes, watching the other in blatant confusion and curiosity before the diamond man adjusted himself, cleared his throat. "Where'd you hear that name?"

"You. You got up, saved me from a Skeleton and called me Mega."

Skeppy was staring at him, but the faraway look made Tommy uneasy. With such a desire for answers and a refusal to back down, however, the blond didn't move. He would get the answer one way or another.

"Mega was an old friend." Skeppy finally answered, setting the water bottle down before lying down, pulling the blankets up over his shoulders.

"Oh, come on, there's gotta be more to it!" Tommy whined, pulled at Skeppy's shoulder.

It only took a minute of pestering him before Skeppy shifted, shot him a glare that had the teenager recoiling.

"I'll tell you in the morning," he began quietly, "If you let me fucking _sleep_."

Bitter but knowing he'd get nothing else out of Skeppy, Tommy went back to his room.

When morning came, Tommy wasn't all that surprised to find Skeppy was awake first, the blond stumbling into the kitchen to find his friend putting together breakfast for them.

"Sooo...?" Tommy began, voice still tired as Skeppy turned, set a plate down in front of the teen.

"So." Skeppy replied, much to Tommy's frustration. He still sounded stuffed up, but he looked... Better.

"Got anything to talk about?" The teen prodded, leading Skeppy to _sigh_ deeply as he plopped beside him. "You're not gonna shut up 'til I tell you, huh?"

"Not at all," Tommy shamelessly replied. Skeppy glanced at him, looking back at and picking at his own food as Tommy ate, gave him a moment.

"Mega was an old friend," He began. "A dude that'd be _your_ age right now. Obviously Bad and Sam didn't give _birth_ to me or anything," Tommy snorted into his food, causing Skeppy to smile as he gently elbowed the teen. "My mom and dad in Invaded took him in when I was tiny too, 'n I helped raise him kinda. He was always mute, only spoke sign language so I kinda had to learn."

"You know sign language?"

Skeppy gave him a look, and it took Tommy a moment to realize he was moving his hands, not that Tommy understood what it meant.

"What's that mean?"

"You're a bitch."

"... Is that the answer, or?"

Skeppy laughed into a hand at that, making the teen laugh as well. "So... Mega was your brother?"

"Yeah. Kid was just a bit shorter than you, had vitiligo - you know, that skin condition thing - always had a green scarf, was an absolute _dick_. Imagine what kinda shit talking you can do when you don't _talk_."

Tommy laughed again, imagining it. "Mega was even more of a bitch than you and that's sayin' a lot. He's not like, _dead_ or anything, he's just... Back..."

"Home?"

"No. Back in Invaded with my other friends. Here with you, the mansion with Sam, Bad and Ant... _Those_ are my homes."

That was too soft for Tommy, too vulnerable for him to accept. And how does he deal?

He punched Skeppy in the shoulder, watching him lean over the table and his plate with a groan as he held his arm. "What the _fuck_ , Tommy?"

"What other friends do you have in Invaded?"

Skeppy gave him such a _seething_ look, but Tommy returned it with a grin. "Did you have a best friend other than BadBoyHalo?"

"Duh."

"Who?

Skeppy groaned loudly again, but when Tommy kept staring expectantly at him, he scoffed. "Jesus _christ_ , fine. There was a dog hybrid, Vurb, a cat hybrid, Zelk and four humans, Finn, Harvey, Spifey, and Mega."

"Tell me more."

"You nosy _bitch_."

"What else is there to talk about here? How you look like you're dead on your feet? You calling me a mute?" Skeppy lightly shoved the blond, laughing again when he almost fell out of his chair because of it. Slowly getting up, the diamond man dealt with the dishes as he spoke.

"Spifey was about as tall as Wilbur, Vurb had this weird thing about _feet_ , Zelk never wore pants, Harvey was an absolute _sweetheart_ , and Finn was genderfluid and dressed like a girl all the time. Happy?"

Considering all this, Tommy nodded slowly. "Definitely won't use this knowledge against you in the future."

Skeppy leaned over the counter top _just_ to flick Tommy's forehead. " _Fuck_ you, you _child,_ " now _Tommy_ was seething. "And Mega was an _uncute mute_. That's all you get. They aren't _dead_ , they're just back in Invaded. If I ever find a way to go back..."

Something else settled over the two, something more quiet and melancholy. Skeppy wouldn't make eye contact with Tommy, not that the teenager was trying.

"Can I go with you? Me and Tubbo?" He finally asked. "For a visit, I mean."

Skeppy didn't look up from where he was staring outside, eyeing a bee by the flower patch.

"Yeah, sure. Maybe... Maybe I'll go back soon, I... I miss my friends."

Tommy could relate.

"I'll get packing and call Tubbo then."

Glancing at him, Skeppy only offered a little grin.


	9. Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam loves watching his family grow, keeping each moment close to his heart both good and bad because each moment, word and touch helped shape the four of them to be who they grow up to be.

Sam had always found it so sweet, so heart warmingly endearing to watch his family grow up together. Sometimes, it made him stop, a hand resting over his heart as he watched them - his _family_.

He'd already been with Bad and raising Ant when he found the diamond boy with burn marks on his skin in the woods all alone. He'd brought him home, listened to Bad fuss in the doorway as Sam gently wrapped the boy in bandages, helped him clean up and offered up some of Ant's clothes.

The boy didn't want to be alone, and as afraid of the two tall men as he seemed, the moment Sam stood up to get Ant's clothes, the little boy was clinging to his arm, pleading against his sleeve to not leave him alone. Bad had to retrieve the clothes, the creeper hybrid soothing the little kid.

Skeppy was put in the guest room, and Bad had been the one to offer to stay with him to keep the boy calm - and keep an eye on him. Sam was reluctant to agree for clear reasons, but he did, heading off to bed as Bad led the boy to the guest room.

The next morning, Sam got up early, making breakfast for everyone. One by one (or rather, Ant got up, followed shortly by Bad and Skeppy). The cat sat at the table, still waking up, but Sam and Ant both couldn't help but stare for a moment when Bad walked into the kitchen, carrying the child who whined against his shoulder, small arms wrapped around the demon's neck.

"He didn't wanna get up," Bad uttered, sounded so amused as he set the boy in the seat beside AntFrost.

The boy rubbed at his eyes for a moment, rubbed the diamonds on his arm before looking at the cat hybrid. But, as human as the boy seemed, he wasn't surprised about the fuzzy appearance.

Quiet introductions went around as Sam served everyone breakfast, but any silence was broken by Ant asking, "So, what happened to you?" and gesturing to the bandages. Skeppy seemed to tense, any appetite gone as he pushed his plate away. "Ant," Sam started, but the diamond boy wrapped his arms around himself and sat up. "My- my... village was burnt down."

Bad and Sam's gazes met before they looked back at the boy, Bad inching closer to gently wrap an arm around him. "Where was your village?" Sam asked softly, watching the boy's fingers twist into Bad's cloak, pressing himself against his husband's side. "Um... It- it's... Somewhere.." The boy whined softly, and Ant and Sam regretted ever asking. "I was running for a while..."

They finished breakfast in silence, and while Sam went (with Ant on the boy's insistence) to find this village that burnt down while Bad stayed home to care about the child.

When the two couldn't find a thing, they went back home, frustrated on a lack of findings and tensely quiet.

A tense mood that lifted when Sam opened the door for himself and Ant only to find his void demon husband laying on the couch, asleep, his tail wound around the boy with diamond freckles in his skin asleep on his chest.

Sam rested a hand over his chest, smiled so softly at the sight as Ant huffed a laugh.

So many more moments akin to the first happened over the years as Skeppy made his place in their family. Of course there were bad days, sleepless nights - Skeppy was no stranger to storming off when things became too overwhelming for him to handle - but in the end, the four always came back together, and Sam would forever be thankful for that.

Even late nights, like the one Bad spent pacing their bedroom floor as Sam tried to assure him, "He's sixteen now, love, he's bound to wander. It'll be okay, he'll be back soon."

Bad turned to eye his husband with his wide glowing white eyes, visibly frazzled and frantic. "Sam," he said slowly, "Sam, the last thing I did was _shout at him_! He's probably so upset, out getting himself into trouble and he'll never respond to me now!"

Sam cooed softly, standing out of bed to draw the nine foot six tall demon down into his arms. Bad had to bend over a little as his own arms wound around the seven foot four creeper hybrid, fingers gripping his night shirt as his face pressed against his shoulder. "I'm so scared, Sam," Bad breathed. "What if he's badly hurt? What if he's _dead_? What if-"

 _knock-knock_.

Bad and Sam made eye contact before Sam released him, trailing slowly after as the demon's wings flapped and he raced down to the front door.

Bad swung the door open and, lo and behold, Skeppy was stood with his eyes firmly focused on the ground, dripping wet and so messy. "What happened?" Sam asked, helping him out of his leather armor as Skeppy mumbled some things he could not hear.

Bad jumped in when he heard the word _skeleton_ , a firm hand on Skeppy's shoulder turning him this way and that until his eyes landed on the patch of red staining the side of Skeppy's hoodie. "I... Took the arrow out," the boy whispered, wouldn't meet Bad's gaze to save his _life_. 

"I'm sorry I shouted at you," Bad muttered, fingers gently pressing against the boy's jaw to lift his head. "I... I'm sorry too," the boy uttered. Face softening, Bad took his hand, leading him off toward their bathroom. "We'll be back, Sam!" He added, almost as an afterthought.

Sam chuckled softly, shaking his head as he took a seat on the couch, patiently waiting.

When they returned, the tall demon was carrying the much shorter human. Skeppy had his hoodie tight in his arms with a frown, bandages wrapped tightly around his midsection and Bad sat right beside Sam on the couch, now holding the boy in his lap.

If Sam listened close, he could hear a faint rumble he realized was Bad _purring_ as he held Skeppy. "Are you okay now?" The creeper asked. After a moment of consideration, Skeppy nodded, grip on the hoodie tightening. "Don't worry, S'geppy, I could loan you one of my hoodies til I can fix yours!" Bad offered gleefully, confused when the boy started laughing into the fabric he held.

"Bad..." Sam uttered fondly, a smile on his face as the demon questioned what he said wrong and Skeppy giggled away into his stained hoodie.

"Come on, bed time!" Bad announced, standing with Skeppy and carrying him off to his room.

The creeper watched after with that fond smile, waiting patiently for Bad.

When he did after a little while, Sam slipped a hand into his, leading him back to their room. "Come on, Bad," Sam uttered, gesturing to the bed. "It's time to get some rest."

The void demon nodded slowly, lying down and finally _really_ relaxing when they got under the covers and Sam shifted closer, wrapping his arms around Bad and getting the demon to rest his head on Sam's chest. The creeper gently ran fingers through Bad's hair, smiling softly when he uttered, "Thank you, Sam..."

"Don't thank me," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Bad's head between his horns. "Sweet dreams, my love..."

Bad tipped his head up, a gentle kiss pressed to Sam's jaw and neck before the demon settled, eyes closing finally. "Goodnight, honey..."

Sam loves watching his family grow, keeping each moment close to his heart both good and bad because each moment, word and touch helped shape the four of them to be who they grow up to be.

Like the day they were attending a night festival, and Sam was waiting outside with the now eighteen year old AntFrost at his side, the cat's tail flicking as he huffed, waited impatiently for the other two. And eventually, the two came out, Bad dressed in more casual clothes than usual, holding his cloak in a bundle that had Sam quirking a brow. "Why are you bringing your cloak? And where's Skeppy?" The man asked.

Only for the boy with diamond freckles pop his head up and out of the cloak, giggling madly as he lifted the _way_ too large fabric off his head. The sight made Sam and Ant laugh as well, Bad grinning as he adjusted their son before Skeppy pushed the top of the cloak off his head, throwing his arms around the void demon's head and whining childishly, "Baaaad I don't wanna waaalk!"

The demon snorted, fondly uttering, "You're such a lazy potato, S'geppy," but he still held the boy against his chest. Grinning, Ant asked, "Can I be carried too?"

It was so hard for Sam to hold in his laughter when Bad opened his mouth, only to close it and crouch down so Ant could climb onto his shoulders in a piggy back ride. Skeppy giggled into one of his hands, the other holding one of Ant's as they got walking down the wooded path toward town.

It only took a couple minutes to reach said town, and Sam and Bad both smiled wide as Skeppy lit up to see all the lights and decorations and people.

Ant, however, leapt off Bad's shoulders, startling all three of them. Before Bad or Sam could ask, Skeppy was laughing his head off onto Bad's cloak and Ant was throwing himself into the arms of a young man with pink-red hair, wearing a cake themed hoodie who laughed as he caught him, swinging Ant around.

The two dads walked closer, and Skeppy answered one of their many questions with a delighted, "Hi, Velvet!" and got a quick wave back from the guy, his free arm wrapped comfortably around Ant's upper back.

Bad barely stifled laughter (something Skeppy most certainly did _not_ do) when they could hear Ant purring _loudly_ into the guy - Velvet's - shoulder. "Nice to meet you two!" Velvet then said, leaning his head on Ant's with a bright smile as he offered a hand Sam shook, and then Bad. "I'm Ant's boyfriend, Velvet. He wanted to meet up with me at the festival," He explained.

Smiling just as brightly, Bad asked, "How long have you two been together?" Velvet lit up with the question, wrapping his other arm around Ant. "Not too long - Two or three months, but..."

He gave the shorter a gentle squeeze, delighted in the warmth of the cat in his arms. "I'll make sure he gets home safe tonight, I promise!" Velvet gleefully said, and Skeppy vouched, "Yeah, Ant's good."

With that, Skeppy shifted and Bad set him down, taking the cloak so he wouldn't trip. The diamond boy tugged Ant's shirt until his brother looked over at him and Skeppy pulled him into a quick but tight hug, giving him a big grin when he let go. "Have a nice festival, Ant!" before he was stepping back over to Bad, grabbing onto the void demon's hand like a little kid and holding onto him.

Bad led Skeppy over to some friends, namely Puffy and her son. Sam stayed behind for a moment and with a curious glance from Ant, Sam gave the two a smile - a smile that visibly had Ant's eyes narrowing and his fur standing on end. "Make _sure_ you get Ant home safe tonight," Sam stated calmly, giving Ant a hug and a firm pat on the back before he was trailing after Bad and Skeppy.

The three had fun during the festival, and later into the night, their little group was joined by Fundy and two other kids just a bit younger as the main event of the night began.

Bad and Sam sat back a little away from them, cuddled close as they watched the clear night sky.

Just a short distance away from them, they could see Skeppy and Fundy play wrestling in the grass as the two other boys watched.

"Watch the ears!" Fundy yelled, running his fingers along Skeppy's sides and grinning when the boy shrieked and thrashed away from him, laughing from the ticklish feeling.

"No! Fuck off, Fundy!" The diamond boy shouted over his laughter, grabbing onto Fundy's paws and holding them to stop the attack, the laughter fading into residual giggles. The two sat up finally, grinning like dopes. After a moment of catching their breaths, Skeppy looked to the two boys. "You two ready for the fireworks?"

Immediately, the boy in the green button up and a red bandana around his neck cheered, a bright smile on the boys face. "Can't wait!"

The other boy in a red and white shirt with the green bandana around his neck shrugged, an arm draped over his shorter friend. "I _guess_ ," he answered, "I'm just here because Tubbo wanted to go to the festival. I couldn't care less about some fucking lights."

The shorter boy didn't seem to mind the swearing about the fireworks, leaning into the hold as Skeppy narrowed his eyes at the blond. "Don't be a bitch boy, it's just some fireworks. A lotta people came here for the _pretty lights_."

Fundy rolled his eyes, sitting beside the brunet boy and laying back into the grass with him as Tommy and Skeppy argued back and forth before _they_ were the ones wrestling in the grass.

Their wrestling, however, was cut short by a loud _bang_ , making the two to stop and look up to see the fireworks above them.

Quietly, the two crawled back to Fundy and Tubbo, sitting quietly and watching the fireworks go off with wide eyes. Fundy and Tubbo laughed.


	10. Valentines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is for us?"
> 
> "For when you guys visit. So you have somewhere to stay."
> 
> (Pt. 4)

"Why didn't you tell us you moved in with Skeppy?" Tubbo had asked, curiosity painting his tone as he and Ranboo followed Tommy around the quartz mansion. "You didn't ask," the blond stated, crossing his arms as he looked around the mansion he and his surprise housemate worked to repair. "We've been _trying_ to make a new place," he defended further. "But until it's done, we're staying here. Skeppy's even been making renovations."

"What about you? What have you been doing?" Ranboo asked kindly, a little smile on his face. "I've been collecting supplies," Tommy stated with a frown as he dug through a chest, trying to find something, only to come up empty with a scowl. "Getting wood and stupid shit like that. It was the only thing Skeppy asked me to do for this. Speaking of- Skeppy, have you seen my fucking-"

The boy raised his head, looking toward the stairs only for a little plastic packet to smack him in the face and, after a moment, a belated, "Heads up!" reached his ears.

"Skeppy, you _fucker_!" Tommy hissed, but when he opened his eyes, the boy was hanging down a bit off the guard rail of the stairs, Tommy's netherite sword hanging from the fingers of his diamond covered hand. Oh, that's why he said heads up. Except, he wasn't dropping it. Tommy raised an eyebrow and Skeppy offered him a surprisingly friendly smile, reaching down further off the rail almost dangerously, stretching as he held the sword by the blade, offering it to the teenager. "You were lookin' for it, right? You left it in the hall when you ran to answer the door earlier."

Oh. That made sense.

"Speaking of," Skeppy let go of the sword when Tommy finally grabbed the handle, sheathing it while his companion ran off. Tubbo and Ranboo gave the blond a weird look, glancing back up at the rails as the older boy came running back.

A packet just like the one that hit Tommy landed against Tubbo's chest, making the teen fumble, but in Ranboo's case, it was reached over and gently dropped into his hands.

"What's this?" The Enderman hybrid asked, looking at it. Skeppy didn't answer at first, so the three looked at the plastic in their hands - packets of chocolate, something hard to make and harder to find. "Where did you get these?" Tubbo asked, but Skeppy winked at him.

"Happy holidays, boys," The noiret said, clapping his hands together and getting their attention back. "Follow me, boys, construction here's done."

Brows furrowed, Tommy was the first to start trailing up the stairs and after Skeppy as he walked upstairs. "You trust him?" Ranboo asked, side-eyeing Tubbo. "... Yeah," Tubbo uttered, hesitantly following. "I trust Tommy... I don't think Skeppy will hurt us."

The two followed up to be greeted with the renovation of Bad's room. Skeppy stood proudly beside a sign, and Tommy was visibly struggling to not smile.

_Tubbo & Ranboo's Room!_  
_Leave Weapons At The Door_

There was a little barrel beside the door taller-than-usual door and Ranboo was the first to step up, pushing open the wood to peer inside.

A colorful room greeted him, two comfortable looking beds near each other, a little dresser with the top covered in tiny knick-knacks (a tiny piece of obsidian they guessed was broken off of the L'Manberg walls, a little jar of ender pearls Skeppy already had and refused to use, a flower pot with an allium), soft carpet of purple and yellow spread in strange patterns across the floor.

"This is for us?" Tubbo asked, and Skeppy nodded. "For when you guys visit. So you have somewhere to stay. Tommy's room is right next to yours, and mine's at the end of the hall if you ever need me."

The noiret gently clapped a hand on Tubbo and Tommy's shoulders, giving Ranboo a kind smile that was quickly returned.

"You guys are welcome to stay whenever you want. I got some stuff to attend to, but... Happy holidays, kids."


	11. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wanted to do so many things in that moment. He wanted Bad to carry him again, he wanted to plop on his ass and cry, he wanted to pull the other close and hold him tight and never let go and he wanted Sam to appear, lift him up and take him home.
> 
> He felt like a scared little kid again, and he didn't like it. He didn't like the false hope the name gave him.
> 
> (BFA Pt. 1)

He blocked out the fire when he was young. He only remembered a few details, the stuff he told Sam when his dad finally asked about it; the forest, the burned village, the monsters that destroyed his home and the family he lost.

He blocked out a lot of it, but it took so long to get over his fear of fire. Winter was a hard time for everyone.

Blankets became an absolute must have in their household and, thankfully, none of his new three family members minded cuddling when he was cold. Torches were a no go either, but thankfully lanterns and redstone lamps weren't that hard to make. When he was gifted the blue hoodie, it was rare to see him without it and when he made his headbox, he was never seen without it.

But the point was, he'd blocked so much out. When someone asked if he even remembered the name of his sister, he wouldn't have an answer. If they asked who his parents were, he'd answer _oh, that's easy! Sam and Bad!_

He never mentioned _this_.

Bad had been harassed quite a bit by a lot of people lately - in a joking manner, of course. Bad knew they were just poking fun, making jokes and pranks and being silly.

Thus why when the two came to drag Bad off for building plans he agreed to help them with and being _particularly_ awful, he'd turned to Skeppy, a pout that looked rather silly from a 9'6" foot tall demon with void black skin and glowing white eyes. "S'geppy!" He whined, fists held up by his chest as he pouted down at the 5'8" human that returned the look with an unseen grin. "Come with us! Please? Don't leave me alone with them!"

Skeppy glanced over to the _them_ in question; a 'friend' of Bad's he never bothered asking the name of, and Puffy. Puffy he wasn't worried about. Auntie Puffy was one of the best people he'd ever met, Bad could survive a few hours with her.

The other, however...

"What's so bad about 'em?" He asked, looking back as Bad made such an indignant sound. "They've been terrorizing me all day! Pleaaaase?"

"Ugh, fine!"

He'd followed them around for a while, one hand in his hoodie pocket and the other hanging at his side as he watched Bad whine and complain with Puffy and the other guy's teasing and terrorizing. Skeppy observed them carefully, watched the way the guy poked and prodded at Bad and really, Skeppy didn't mind any of the noise - he thought it was funny.

Until the guy threw an arm around Bad's waist, turned to Skeppy and gleefully said, "Did you hear that, _'Geppy'_?"

"Huh?"

"Bad just said I was his best friend in the entire world!"

"Wh- Bad, is that true?"

The hurt tone Skeppy's voice held Bad had the demon freaking out near immediately, lightly pushing the guy's arm off him to lift the diamond boy into his arms and hold him close. "No, S'geppy, I didn't say that! This muffin is _lying_ to you!"

Puffy looked like she was _barely_ stifling laughter. The guy didn't try stifling it at all.

"You didn't?" Skeppy asked, playing in and puppy dog eyeing his father despite the man being unable to see. "So _I'm_ your best friend in the whole entire world? Not-... This guy?"

Bad was nodding along the whole time and when Skeppy finished speaking, Bad's wings stretched, curling around him as he rested his chin on top of the headbox. "You're my best friend above _everything_ , S'geppy!" "Aw!" Puffy cooed, Skeppy's cheeks turning red as he gently pushed Bad's face back with a whine. "Daaaad, stoooop!"

"S'geppy!"

"Let me dooown, you're embarrassing!"

"But you're so _small_ and _cute_!"

Now he really was red, shoving more against Bad and further complaining. "Let me down!" His voice lowered, something flustered and soft that only Bad could hear. "You can carry me around later, okay?"

Relenting, Bad gently set him down on his feet beside the guy, and when the guy seemed to eye Skeppy, Bad's wing curled around him. "No, leave S'geppy alone, Quackity, don't be mean to him," The demon chided, and Skeppy stopped.

He stopped, and he stared the guy - _Quackity_ \- down, watching as the dude poked and teased Bad until the guy touched his wing and said wing flapped out, knocking him on his ass.

The guy looked startled - somewhat terrified by the look on Bad's face and his stretched wings. Puffy looked startled as well, her hands gently grabbing onto Bad's arm and pulling him back.

Skeppy, however, rested a hand on Bad's chest, calming the demon with a single, gentle pat before he stepped closer, offering a hand and helping Quackity up.

He wanted to do so many things in that moment. He wanted Bad to carry him again, he wanted to plop on his ass and _cry_ , he wanted to pull the other close and hold him tight and never let go and he wanted Sam to appear, lift him up and take him home.

He felt like a scared little kid again, and he didn't like it. He didn't like the false hope the name gave him. "Qu.. _Quackity_?"

"Yeah?"

The guy gave him a weird look, but let Skeppy hold his hand. "S'geppy?" Bad whispered, confusion painting his tone.

"Let me ask you a question," Skeppy started, voice low. Hesitant and tense, Quackity nodded. "Go ahead...?"

"Do you... Remember the fire?"

Quackity's hand jerked away like he'd been burned, and Skeppy didn't know _when_ he started crying, but he could feel the tears running down his cheeks. "What do you mean?" Quackity asked, and Skeppy cursed his stupid smiley mask and his own headbox.

"Give- give me your hand. _Please_ , I won't... I won't hurt you. I promise."

He was even more hesitant now, more reluctant and tense and all around frustrated, but he allowed it, resting his palm against Skeppy's.

Skeppy shoved back his sleeve before he could stop the diamond boy, exposing emeralds scattered along his skin as the guy jerked back again, no doubt scowling behind the mask.

Skeppy's hands were shaking, tears dropping down to the wood path below their feet. "Don't touch me," Quackity hissed, tugging his sleeve back to hide those priceless gems.

Skeppy could relate.

And he felt like it was getting harder to breathe. "Q- Quack-"

Quackity turned on his heel, seething and storming off.

Puffy and Bad were silent and uneasy, but when Bad started to speak, asked what happened, what was wrong, Skeppy was off. But he wasn't headed home; he was headed right for Quackity, taking him to the ground as the demon and the sheep hybrid ran after. "Don't fucking run off!" Skeppy hissed, rolling with Quackity painfully down the hill.

When they both landed, the headbox and mask had been dislodged and Skeppy was gripping tight, glaring down at a face near identical to his own, save for in place of diamonds were instead emeralds.

Emeralds, and wide brown eyes staring back at him, startled more from the hit than what he saw before him.

"Are you guys okay?!" Puffy gasped as she and Bad climbed down more safely. Quackity tried to sit up, but Skeppy's hands firmly shoved him back into the dirt, shaking as he blinked back tears. "Stop, just-"

"Geppy-"

"Shut the _fuck_ up for a second!"

That quieted everyone down. Skeppy could see the flicker of familiarity in Quackity's eyes, but it took him a second longer than the diamond boy. When he tried to sit up again, he was, of course, shoved back down. "Stop _fucking_ moving, Quacky!"

"Quack _ity_ -"

"I _know_ what I called you."

_Silence._

"Fuck you, Quacky. _Fuck you_ ," He hissed, finally sitting back on the younger's legs as his hands went up to press against his eyes. He felt Quackity sit up, felt firm hands on his shoulders, but he wouldn't speak; he knew his voice would crack if he did, and he wouldn't take his hands from his eyes, pressing until he saw colors to hide the tears from everyone else. "S'geppy," Bad cooed softly, but the boy shook his head, shivering like a leaf.

"Let's get them home?" Puffy suggested softly, and Bad must've uttered some kind of agreement because he was lifting Skeppy up, letting the boy hide his face against his chest.

He didn't focus from there, soaking up the darkness Bad's wings provided as he and Puffy took him home.

Sam took over when they walked through the doors, the 7'4" foot tall creeper taking Skeppy from Bad's arms. He wasn't as small in Sam's arms as he was in Bad's, but he still held onto his dad, hiding his face against his shoulder. "Is he okay?" he heard Quackity softly ask, and his fingers twisted tighter into Sam's shirt.

"He'll be okay," Sam uttered, adjusting the boy. "He... Gets like this sometimes. Overwhelmed. It'll be okay, he just needs a nap; time to recoup, you know?"

He wanted to be indignant or complain about it, but he was so tired, and he at least got _one_ thing he wanted.

The others left him alone as Sam carted him off to his room, tucked him into bed and pressed a kiss to his tear stained cheek. "It'll be alright," Sam whispered, brushing Skeppy's hair out of his face as he whined softly. "You can talk about it with us tomorrow, okay? Get some rest, Skeppy."

As reluctant as he was, he rolled onto his side and fell asleep soon after Sam left him in the quiet of his room, leaving him to think and sleep.

When he woke up hours later, it wasn't of his own volition; a hand was gently brushing through his hair, brushing what was made a mess from sleeping out of his voice. He didn't move, kept his eyes closed and his breathing even as the fingers gently scratched his scalp, kept carding through his hair and soft voices spoke.

"I can't believe he agreed to this..." Quackity...? He tensed up.

"He agreed because I promised to stay in here with you." Puffy. And just like that, he relaxed again. The gentle scritches and touches were lulling him right back despite the fact he'd just woke up.

Knowing if he didn't sit up then and wake up, he never would, Skeppy shifted, silently mourning the loss of the fingers in his hair for a moment as he slowly sat up, keeping his eyes closed.

"Morning, sleepy-head," aunt Puffy uttered so fondly, bringing her hand back up to gently scratch his head - something he melted right into as his head dropped tiredly against her shoulder, a hand coming up to stifle his yawn. "Mornin', Puffy..."

"Hi, Skeps..."

He didn't have to look to know, to guess the either frustrated or sad look on Quackity's face, but he opened one brown eye anyway.

And there was that sad look; something tired, something... Understanding?

Instead of any anger he felt earlier, any sorrow he covered up with said anger, Skeppy raised a hand, gave a little wave as he uttered, "Morning, Quacky..."

Was it a good response? Was it a _bad_ response? He didn't know, because either way, Quackity's expression crumpled and now Skeppy had a lapful of Quackity instead, reminiscent to earlier - except this time, arms wrapped around his shoulders, a face pressing into his neck. He wound his arms around Quackity's waist, only really relaxed himself because Puffy kept an arm around him too. "You call him Quacky?" Puffy asked softly, and Skeppy nodded, squeezing the other gently.

"I called him Skeps," Quackity offered, voice muffled against Skeppy. He could feel the warm tears landing on his skin.

Puffy's fingers gently wiped away tears of Skeppy's he didn't even know were falling. "What were you two?" She asked, and Skeppy swallowed thickly. "He didn't tell you?"

"He did. I'd like to hear it from you, if that's alright?"

Bless Puffy. She was a mother of two, a best friend of many, and a loving girlfriend to Niki. She knew when not to push. "..Brothers." He finally admitted, tightening his hold on Quackity. "... Twins, actually. We ran from the fire in our village together. We got... Split up.." He uttered, swallowing thickly. "I thought... I thought he was... M- mom and dad were.."

Quackity leaned back, pressing his hands to and thus smooshing Skeppy's cheeks together as he frowned, shook his head. "I was saved," Quackity stated, "Raised, left home, came to the Dream smp with my ex fiance, Schlatt."

Skeppy swallowed, leaned back a little to speak. "Sam found me. He 'n Bad raised me," he uttered back. "I grew up here."

Quackity nodded, and Skeppy yanked him back into a hug again, huffing against his hoodie. "Emerald asshole," He grumbled, feeling more than hearing his brother's laughter in return. It was a good moment of silence before Skeppy glanced over at Puffy, peeking up from Quackity's shoulder. "You can... Go back to Bad 'n Sam if you want, Puffy. We'll be okay."

The sheep gave him a kind smile, gently scratching her nails through his hair one more time before a soft kiss was pressed to his forehead. "If you're sure. Call if you need us, okay?"

She waited until she saw both boys nod before Puffy stood up, stepping out of Skeppy's room and closing the door with a quiet _click_.

\---------- (AN bc idk how to put images in actual notes)

look at this meme one of my best friends Toni made for this version of the au. thank u for ur contribution toni i love u


	12. Soft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skeppy didn't hesitate in walking up, poking Bad despite the immediate soft protests of his aunt and father.
> 
> (BFA Pt. 2? nothing wrong with a little pointless fluff c: )

The two stayed in Skeppy's room for quite a while, talking about their families, reminiscing, making jokes and chatting about everything under the sun.

Bad had made a half-hearted joke about listening in to make sure they aren't at each other's throats - a joke Puffy and Sam knew wasn't really a joke at all as they turned down the idea. The sheep swore to him they were okay, promised she'd check on them in a little while.

Of course Bad was afraid when Puffy checked on them only to softly call in Sam and Bad, but the sight that greeted them was Quackity and Skeppy, both dead asleep and curled into each other. Skeppy had pressed himself against his brother, tucked Quackity's head against his chest comfortably.

Bad visibly relaxed, a hand over his hearts as he observed the scene.

"Does this mean we have a new son?" Sam had jokingly asked but Bad, incredibly soft in the moment, had nodded as he stepped into the room, pulling Skeppy's blanket up and tucking the two in.

When Skeppy woke up, he was still so tired, but he didn't want to lay there any further. It was easy to squirm away from Quackity, plucking the beanie from his head and, in a half asleep state, donning it himself before he tucked the blanket further around the younger twin.

Climbing out of bed, the man stepped out of his room and down the hall on autopilot. He could see how dark it was from the big front window,, and he stretched his arms above his head as he went downstairs.

His feet dragged him toward the soft voices from the living room and he found Sam and Puffy chatting, the giant demon Bad leaned back against the couch, asleep.

Skeppy didn't hesitate in walking up, poking Bad despite the immediate soft protests of his aunt and father. Bad was awoken pretty easily, soft grumbles leaving his lips as his glowing eyes popped open and he gazed at his son. "Hi...?"

He sounded confused, and Skeppy bit his lip to stifle laughter. Sleepy Bad was fun, and it wasn't the first time he mistook one person for another, despite how quickly Puffy and Sam recognized the diamond boy.

Said boy climbed into Bad's lap, nearly laughing at how tense the demon was until his fingers tugged the beanie off, tucking his own head against Bad's chest comfortably. "It's _me_ , dum-dum," Skeppy uttered fondly, and he really did laugh when Bad's arms immediately wound around him, purring loudly as his chin gently rested atop Skeppy's head, already on his way to falling back asleep now that he knew it was his diamond in his arms.


	13. Parenthood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if Bad found Sapnap, brought him home to Skeppy?...
> 
> (mostly angst w happy end for the sake of angst)

Bad had found the child all alone in the nether, crying his little heart out. Fire licked at his skin and, though the demon had panicked thinking the fire was the cause of the child's bawling, but as he ran up, the flames shot higher when the child noticed him and, just like that, the flames extinguished and the boy was left staring wide-eyed up at the demon.

They stared for a moment back and forth before the child's eyes welled up again and Bad panicked, crouching down in front of him and setting his pick down in favor of lifting the toddler up.

It took a good few minutes of cradling and rocking the boy before his cries slowed and the little one finally settled against him, seemingly having tuckered himself out.

Bad cooed softly over the boy, gently brushing long, wild locks behind his ear before he stood up, lifting the tiny thing up into his arms. He was so large, with a muscular build and standing at 9'6", and the toddler was so small - Bad would've guessed him to be a normal human baby had the child not been _on fire_ when he found him.

The problem didn't come from the baby, his fire, or the trip through the nether as Bad returned home.

The problem came from what he knew was inevitable.

Skeppy had always been a wild card, and Bad knew they both had their faults thus the occasional argument, but bringing home a _child_ was so much different than sneaking home a _dog_ or a _cat_.

And there he was, trying _so hard_ to make something with their crafting table, visible frustration painting his features. Bad, adjusting the sleeping boy against his chest, walked up behind Skeppy, bending down a little to press a kiss against his husband's shoulder (and subsequently startling him) as his tail wrapped around Skeppy's waist findly. "What are you trying to make, S'geppy?"

The diamond boy glanced back, thankfully just staring at Bad's face for now as a little smile appeared on his face. "Hi, Bad. I was trying to make a new bow, I just..." A little frustrated noise left him, cheeks turning a light blue in a blush as he looked back to the table.

"Aw, S'geppy," Bad cooed, resting his chin on Skeppy's shoulder as he watched. "The string goes straight down, love," the demon uttered, biting his lip to hold in laughter at the low growl the shorter let out when Bad's advice proved to be true.

But the bitter mood faded just like that and, Bad forgetting what he held, Skeppy turned to his husband and gave him a quick kiss.

"Welcome home, Bad," the diamond boy greeted softly, delight in his face that faltered when his brown eyes flickered down for a moment, his brain slowly registered what he saw and his gaze drifted down Bad's face and chest to stare at the messy raven haired baby in Bad's arms.

"Bad."

"... Yes, S'geppy...?"

"What is that?"

"It's a baby."

"And it's here _because_...? Did Puffy take in another? Are you babysitting or something?"

Bad winced, silent and, with continued silence, Skeppy's gaze went back up and his eyes narrowed as he looked in Bad's glowing eyes.

"Explain. Now."

He wasn't happy with the explanation, for so many reasons and really, Bad couldn't blame him.

His demon husband leaving home for quartz, only to come back with little more than _another living thing_. A living thing that was _abandoned_ in the realm Skeppy often referred to as _Hell_.

"Can we keep him?"

"Wh-"

Skeppy's eyes went wide, staring at Bad's hopeful look as the demon held up the boy who was just starting to wake up, a sleepy look on the little one's face as his brown eyes fluttered open, a big yawn bursting from him as Skeppy furrowed his brows, something in his chest twisting.

"Bad, we're not parents." His husband's expression dropped and with it, Skeppy's heart. "But we _could_ be," Bad responded, holding the boy up and gently pressing his cheek against the child's, a low purr rumbling in his chest and making the boy giggle like crazy. "We could get Puffy's advice - she already has Dream and Foolish! Sam could help us build a room for him, Ant and Velvet could help us and babysit him sometimes!"

He felt like throwing up, and perhaps that wasn't the best reaction to this, to the prospect of starting and raising a family with his husband.

"Skeppy?"

He was being too quiet, but he couldn't find his words. Bad's face fell further when the diamond boy stepped back, picking up his nearby headbox and gingerly setting in place, hiding his expression from Bad. "Bad," he started again, "We aren't ready for a kid yet. We really can't get Puffy to take him in?"

"Skeppy, I found him abandoned in the Nether."

"I know-"

"I can't abandon him again!"

"Bad-!"

"Skeppy, I'm not leaving him or giving him up!"

Now Bad was getting worked up too, and not only was it stressing Skeppy out, it was stressing the baby out, who whined softly as his eyes flooded with tears. Immediately, the demon's attention was on the boy instead of Skeppy, leading to the scowl behind the box.

"Bad-"

"Shush, Skeppy, you're upsetting him!"

" _I'm_ upsetting him?!"

The argument only escalated, a surprisingly venomous back and forth before the baby let out a cry and Bad turned on his heel, walking away from Skeppy and ignoring his husband's calls as he tried to soothe the boy.

"Bad! Come _on_ , we have to talk about this!" Skeppy hissed, storming after him, but Bad's tail snapped out, taking the diamond boy by surprise and knocking him on his ass. Bad didn't seem to notice, too busy cooing over and rocking the toddler.

The only hint that Bad knew what he did was the glance he shot back to Skeppy. Maybe it was to check on him, to make sure he didn't actually _hurt_ his husband but oh, was that untrue.

Skeppy slowly got to his feet, adjusting his ajar headbox. before he looked up, eyeing Bad. The demon's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't say a word.

Neither did Skeppy when he turned on his heel, storming out of their shared home and slamming the door behind him.

He wasn't sure what to do from there, but he couldn't stop. His feet wouldn't let him stop, running down the wood path through the Dream SMP. Past Puffy's home, past the community house, past every little shop and house everyone's made until he was forced to stop, lungs burning as he gasped for breath.

Skeppy put his hands on the sides of his headbox, holding it tighter on his head as he dragged himself further, a scowl set in to fight back tears as he stepped into the woods and took his axe out.

That's where he spent a few good hours, taking out frustration (and perhaps a little heartbreak) out on the trees away from the main smp.

Of course his communicator went off over and over, over the course of the few hours he was out there, but he didn't check it until the moon was high in the sky.

_CaptainPuffy whispered to Skeppy: Bad told me what happened. It's okay to be scared, Skeppy, message me if you need me <3_

_AntFrost whispered to Skeppy: Don't stay out too late_

_AweSamdude whispered to Skeppy: It's getting late, let me know if you need a place to stay!_

His gaze drifted up, eyeing the dark sky above him before he looked back at his communicator.

_BadBoyHalo whispered to Skeppy: i'm sorry I pushed you, skeppy, i didn't mean to_

_BadBoyHalo whispered to Skeppy: i was trying to get him to stop crying, i hope i didn't hurt you!_

_BadBoyHalo whispered to Skeppy: it's getting dark, where are you?_

_BadBoyHalo whispered to Skeppy: you know it gets dangerous when it gets dark, do you have your sword at least?_

_BadBoyHalo whispered to Skeppy: i found it in your room. are you coming home?_

He took a deep, shaking breath, tears burning his eyes. As much as he didn't want to, he knew if he didn't message _someone_ , Bad was bound to hunt him down just to ensure his safety.

 _Or maybe he wouldn't,_ his traitorous heart whispered to him. Skeppy winced.

_Skeppy whispered to AweSamdude: can i spend the night at urs?_

_AweSamdude whispered to Skeppy: Of course._

It took a few minutes to make his way out of the woods, inventory full of log stacks and saplings, but his trip was made longer trying to weave his way away from and around mobs.

He had a couple run-ins, a few arrows that painfully made contact when he wasn't paying attention, and after a few lucky shots that nearly took him down before he took care of it, Skeppy finally messaged Sam.

_Skeppy whispered to AweSamdude: r u by comunity house?_

_AweSamdude whispered to Skeppy: No, but I'll be there soon. Are you okay?_

_Skeppy whispered to AweSamdude: 2 hrts, lots of mobs_

Sam didn't respond, but Skeppy didn't worry about it, tucking away his communicator and holding up his shield as he inched his way along.

His biggest relief came when he saw the community house and, in turn, the four legged creeper pacing back and forth, a trident held in his hands. "Hi, Sam!" Skeppy called delightedly, a little bit of a pep in his step, as he bounced up to Sam despite the blood staining his clothes and the arrows stuck in him.

Sam, however, looked horrified as he saw the younger man, letting him come up to the creeper before one of Sam's hands gently grapped one of Skeppy's upper arms, the other holding his trident as he looked him over.

"Come on, let me take care of you in here, and then we'll head back to my home, okay?"

Skeppy nodded, refusing to meet Sam's worried glances as he limped into the community house, plopping his butt down on the crafting table floor as Sam dug through the chests and his own inventory.

Soon, the creeper was pulling the arrows, hushing and holding Skeppy when he cried out or let out any pained sounds as his friend and teammate patched him up. "Can you walk?" Sam asked, and Skeppy whined lowly, but nodded. "I don't have any potions on me at the moment, but here."

Skeppy was given some bread and held Sam's hand as the creeper led the diamond boy back to his own home with his trident.

The ravenette didn't sleep well, tossing and turning that night. As much as he wanted to leave, to make his way home or go on a walk to clear his head, he instead climbed out of his temporary bed, waking Sam up.

The creeper looked at Skeppy tiredly, confused, until the much smaller boy held his arms out and Sam dragged him close, letting him cuddle up to the fuzzy hybrid.

The warm presence finally helped him sleep, restlessly as it was.

He felt more exhausted when he woke up than he did when he'd finally fallen asleep, and Sam was still there, letting Skeppy's head rest against him as he tapped away at his communicator.

"G'mornin, Sam..." Skeppy uttered and damn, if he were like Bad, he'd be purring like crazy when Sam's fingers ran through his hair. "Good morning, Skeppy," The man said softly, smiling at his friend. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Ugh..."

"Fair enough. Feel okay? Do I need to change your bandages?"

"Yes pleaaase..."

Sam chuckled softly, helping Skeppy sit up and stacking pillows behind him before he got up himself to get the supplies. In the meantime, Skeppy checked his communicator despite the anxiety that immediately twisted in his gut.

He felt more sick when there was no new messages - not from Bad anyway.

When Sam returned to the room, he was quick to get Skeppy a bucket, rubbing his friend's back as the young man emptied his stomach, cooing over him. "It's okay, breathe, it's alright," He hushed.

"Bad-" Skeppy choked out, gasping for breath as tears dripped down his face.

"I messaged Bad before we went to sleep and when we got up," Sam told him. "Do you want me to take you home?"

_No, I don't want Bad to see me like this, Bad doesn't care, why would he?_

_Yes, I need him with me, I know he loves me, I want him_

"Please," he instead uttered, left it to Sam to interpret.

It took so long to get him to settle, but Skeppy didn't fight Sam's fussing - he understood why the man was worrying for him.

He let him change his bandages, helping where he could, mumbled half asleep nonsense as Sam helped him lay back and tucked him in like he was a little kid. A green hand pressed to Skeppy's forehead who grunted at the cool temperature, but his eyes fluttered closed anyway.

"I'll be back," Sam whispered, and Skeppy nodded slowly, swallowing. "M'kay... Thank you, Sammy..."

"Always."

He drifted off again, sleeping better this time around and when he woke up, there was a warm weight pressed against him. He instinctively curled against the weight, thinking it was Sam as he tucked his face against the other's chest and sighed softly.

But then he could hear the door open, Sam's voice softly asking, "Has he woken up yet?"

"No, not yet..."

He couldn't help how quickly he tensed up, startling the two with how quickly he shoved himself away from Bad, reaching for his headbox on the end table only to find it not there - he left it in the guest room, and Bad's hands quickly grabbed onto his, the demon hushing him softly.

Skeppy shut his eyes tightly, swallowing as he tugged once, testing the grip Bad had on him. To his surprise, the demon let go almost immediately. "Skeppy, I'm sorry, please don't pull away," His husband uttered and while Skeppy wouldn't open his eyes for fear of the tears and emotion he'd expose, he let Bad have his hands. The door clicked shut.

"Are you okay? Do your injuries hurt?"

He shook his head a little.

"Are you mad at me?"

He hesitated, but shook his head again.

"Come on, love, please look at me... It'll be okay..."

As much as he feared the exposure, he slowly opened one watery eye, looking up at the so concerned expression the demon wore.

Bad's expression softened, the demon leaning over to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I'm sorry I pushed you," He uttered; his words from the message.

"I was upset, I know you were too. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

When the first tear fell, Bad cooed softly, pulling him close and rubbing his back as Skeppy clung to him, fingers twisting into his shirt. "Do you wanna talk later, Skep?"

The diamond boy swallowed thickly, nodding after a moment, but he still whispered, "Where's.... Where's the...?"

"He's with Puffy."

"B- But..."

"Sam told me you got sick, do you feel okay now?"

He swallowed again, not answering as he pressed closer, squeezing him as tightly as he could. He knew he couldn't hurt Bad.

"I'm sorry..." Bad pressed a kiss to the top of his head and Skeppy whined quietly. "M- maybe I shouldn't have... Walked out..."

Bad's fingers ran through his hair, a low purr starting to rumble in his chest in an attempt to soothe his worked up husband. "It's okay, Skep, it's okay, I'm not mad at you.."

Now Skeppy leaned back, brows furrowed as he looked up at Bad, squinting to see through his tears. "Y- you're not?"

"Of course not!" Another kiss, this time to his cheek before the demon gave him a little smile, one hand gently cupping his cheek. "Even if I was, I could never stay mad at you, Skeppy, I _love_ you."

_He's lying, isn't he?_

A soft sound escaped him, leaning back in a half-hearted attempt to pull away only for Bad to tug him back close, peppering his face with kisses that had Skeppy trying (and failing) to stifle giggles. "Baaaad..."

"S'geeeeeppy!"

"Let goooo-"

"Noooo!"

Now he was laughing, grinning as Bad pressed kisses to his cheek over and over before the two settled back down.

They laid there in Sam's bed for a while, grateful the man was so kind and let them have the time they needed. After a while, however, Skeppy sat up, pulling at Bad when the demon tugged him. "Do you wanna go home?" Said demon asked, and Skeppy nodded, pressing a kiss to Bad's cheek. "Yeah... Wanna go home now."

"Okay."

Bad helped him up and, after a quick 'thank you' hug for Sam, they headed home.

\---------------- (bonus) (happy end!)

In the end, only a day after, it was Puffy's idea to leave them alone together.

Bad whined and begged and puppy dog eyed Skeppy into agreeing to look after the boy Bad had named Sapnap for the day because apparently Puffy had her hands full with Foolish and Dream, and Bad had _very unbelievably important_ business to attend to.

So Skeppy sat on the couch, waiting as Bad cooed a sweet _goodbye, sweetie, I love you!_ to the little boy the diamond man most definitely didn't recall agreeing to keep.

But when Bad was done, Sapnap was set into Skeppy's lap and arms despite his instant protests, but Bad silenced him with a soft kiss and a big smile, "Thank you, S'geppy, I'll make it up to you, I promise," the demon sweetly uttered.

With that, he left, leaving the confused man with the little boy.

It was awkward at first, sitting with a little one he guessed to be at least a year old or so in his lap. Until the boy got fussy and bored, whining until Skeppy stood up, carefully holding the boy against his chest and brought him to his toys.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he spent quite a while playing with the boy with bears and dolls, found himself babbling nonsense right back to the child or making goofy faces because it was making the boy _laugh_.

Thus, he didn't hear the door slowly creak open as he cooed at the boy, holding Sapnap on his lap as he tickled his side to make the kid laugh as he grinned, "aren't you just the cutest?"

When Skeppy stopped tickling the boy, Sapnap held his arms up, giggling still with a sleepy look and when the diamond boy lifted him, tiny arms wound around his neck, the child's head resting in the crook of his neck.

One hand gently rubbed the boy's back, humming softly as he stood up with Sapnap held secure in his arms with intent to put him to bed, only for Skeppy to turn and see Bad, Sam, Ant and Puffy standing there.

His face went bright blue, a flush spreading over him as he saw the looks on their faces.

Bad looked delighted, hands over his mouth, Puffy had the most smug grin on her face, Ant and Sam were both just smiling fondly.

And Skeppy, heart in his throat, turned on his heel and walked away, hearing a soft protest from Bad as he walked into Sapnap's newly made bedroom, carefully shutting the door behind him.

The boy was set into his orange blanketed bed, tucked in and when the child protested as Skeppy stood up, he didn't really hesitate in toeing off his sneakers, climbing onto the other side of the bed so he could see the door. His focus, however, was on Sapnap as a hand rested across him, softly humming and even singing under his breath to lull the boy to sleep.

It didn't take long for Sapnap to drop, peacefully asleep, and it only took a little longer than that for Bad to slowly open the door.

Skeppy wouldn't look at him, ever so carefully getting off the bed - even accepting Bad's firm hand to help him to his feet so they didn't wake the boy, and they didn't speak until Skeppy had his shoes back on and they left the room.

"You planned this, didn't you?"

"..."

Skeppy glanced over, eyes narrowing at the guilty look on Bad's face before his own expression softened. Bad looked.. nervous, hopeful. He knew that look because he saw the same look when they confessed, when Bad asked if he'd live with him, when Bad asked him to join the Badlands and stay at his side.

Skeppy's fingers found Bad's, his pinkie linking with his husband's. "You really wanna keep him."

A slow nod.

"Bad..."

"Please, Skeppy.."

"Bad, I'm not... _Father_ material," Bad made a soft sound of protest again, tugging Skeppy closer to his side. "I know you wanna keep him, I... I don't _blame_ you for that. Your stupid fucking plan worked, okay? The kid is a feral _sweetheart_ , I wanna keep him too, but..."

"Skeppy, you'll do good.."

"You don't know that!"

The kisses Bad pressed over his face and shoulder as he dragged him close silenced him.

"You'll do _good_ ," He uttered, so firmly Skeppy didn't have it in him to argue as his arms wrapped around Bad's neck, standing on his toes to make it a little more comfortable before Bad lifted him altogether, letting his legs wrap around Bad's waist to really make it more comfortable for them both. "But-"

"No buts, S'geppy," Bad kissed his forehead before giving him a little smile. "It'll be okay. S'geppy, that's _parenthood_ , we learn _together_. I told you, we'll get advice from Puffy, everyone will help us."

A soft kiss to his lips kept him quiet as the diamond man sighed against him, tucking his head against Bad's neck. "Bad... I don't wanna mess this up. I don't wanna mess _him_ up... I don't have any doubt that you'll be the best dad _ever_ but..."

"S'geppy."

He glanced up, swallowing nervously. Bad squeezed him gently, tail curling around him too as he purred a bit loudly. "I _promise_ you, that we're doing this together, and that you _won't_ 'mess him up', okay? If you say no, I'll understand. If you say yes, I promise, S'geppy, we're in this together."

He still wasn't fully sure if he was ready, if he could do this without causing harm to anyone, but god, Bad was such a fucking angel, giving him options like that, that Skeppy knew he would hold true to. He'd understand if Skeppy wasn't ready, if he didn't want this yet.

but...

"Yes."

"Yes...?"

"Let's... Let's do it. We're dads now."

A gasp left Bad, and Skeppy laughed softly against him when he was spun in the air, when Bad's purrs grew louder and his grip grew tighter. He could hear Puffy, Ant and Sam laughing nearby. "Ah! _S'geppy!_ You mean it?!"

"Yeah, yeah- Bad, stop, I'm getting dizzy!"

"Oh- goodness, sorry!"


	14. First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Firsts are the worst.  
> (TW nonpermanent minecraft death)

They'd been messaging everyone they possibly could think of, anyone under the sun that might even consider coming to the rescue of the two boys, but anyone that answered either swore they'd get someone that _could_ help because they were too far away or brushed the boys off as _dramatic_.

Messaging their parents was a desperate calls desperate measures case they were hoping to save for last, knew the kind of screams and scolds they'd receive from the very people that _warned_ the boys time and time again _not_ to stay out when the sun fell, warned them just how dangerous it was. The boys were panicked and injured, holding hands tightly and refusing to let go as they ran through the trees and the underbrush to avoid the monsters spawning around them.

An arrow shot through the air, embedding in the tree beside George's head, causing him to _shriek_ as Dream pulled his arm tighter and Sapnap's grip on George tightened as well. "Go, go!" Dream shouted. George wouldn't let go of their hands, not that they were loosening the grips they had on him.

Another arrow embedded itself in Sapnap's shoulder, however, causing him to stumble as he cried out and Dream stopped a moment to pull him along further as George shoved them, panic choking all three of them.

"There!" George then cried, pointing to the start of a cave in a small hill. The three bolted for it, crowding into the cave as the mobs went after them. Dream blocked off the entrance as George took over helping Sapnap to the side of the cave, lighting it up as he went.

The half blaze groaned, pained as ever while the boy in glasses placed torches around and Dream ran to his side the moment the cave entrance was blocked.

"Are you okay, Sappy?" Dream asked, eyeing the arrow sticking out of the back of his friend's shoulder. "No," The half blaze groaned, pale and shivering. "Can you... Do the inventory thing mama showed us? See how many hearts you have?" The boy asked, freckled nose wrinkling as one hand took Sapnap's and the other George's, holding tightly.

It took Sapnap a moment of painful effort before he managed, uttering, "Three," before adjusting himself, shaking hands tightening on his two friends.

"Don't worry, don't worry, it'll be okay," George fussed, paling when Sapnap's eyes went lidded before he gently pulled his hand out of his, soothing the whine starting up by leaning against Sapnap's good side so he could pull out his communicator, tapping frantically. "Please stay awake, it'll be okay, Sappy," Dream whispered, holding Sapnap's hand up to his chest and giving it a gentle squeeze when his friend's tired eyes went to him.

Dream's eyes filled with tears when Sapnap gave him a weak grin, the other boy shifting to lay down with his head in Sap's lap, the three taking a good few minutes to _breathe_ for the first time in the past two hours.

It was nice, holding onto each other and just breathing, letting their heartbeats slow. They didn't speak - didn't _need_ to. Hopefully one of two things would come soon; a hero or the sunshine that took away the monsters in the dark and gave them a safe route home.

Unfortunately, things just couldn't go their way. They never did. Not for three rowdy, exploratory boys that didn't heed the wise words of their elders.

Sapnap looked up with lidded eyes when he swore he heard something, and he froze up as his gaze locked with a creature of darkness's glowing violet eyes.

The screech scared the life out of Dream and George, sitting up to pull out useless tools - like hell a shovel and a torch could do anything to the beast, but they'd try.

They _would_ have tried.

Had it not been faster than them, stronger than them; sharp clawed hands tore into Sapnap's chest and drained his remaining hearts, a screech so deafeningly loud they felt like their ears were ringing.

Dream screamed out, standing up an raising the shovel in fury as Sapnap gasped, vanishing from their arms altogether.

George didn't have words, a different kind of grief settling in as tears burned his eyes, gasping for his own lost breath as Dream attacked the tall monster with the shovel vehemently.

When it finally collapsed, vanishing after it's death, Dream picked up the pearl it dropped, shoulders shaking. He turned to George, pulled him tightly against his chest as the two sobbed their hearts out.

They knew about the marks on their wrists, how sometimes, somehow, a death just didn't count, and sometimes a death would take a mark off their wrists and bring them closer to their inevitable and far more permanent death.

They didn't know if this would count for Sapnap, and they didn't know when they would get to go home and oh, did these thoughts make them cry that much harder.

After a couple minutes, a heavy _thud_ drew their attention to the cave entrance and the two, petrified, clung to each other as they watched the cracks form in the cobblestone George had placed to block them in.

The cracks grew, and with it, their shaking intensified until it finally broke open and the two screamed, hiding their faces in each other's shoulders.

But nothing happened.

Nothing happened, nothing touched them, and when Dream glanced up, it wasn't some sort of monster or villain there. It was the promised _help_ Technoblade had sent.

Skeppy, enchanted netherite sword gripped tight in his hand. "Come on," The diamond man said, glancing behind himself before looking at the teenagers. "Come on, hurry up, I cleared a path. Where's Sap?"

They both remained silent, but before Skeppy could stress out further or snap at them, George softly said, "He... Died."

Skeppy didn't say a _word_ at first. He tensed, raised a hand to adjust his headbox before more firmly uttering, "Let's _go_."

The two silently followed Skeppy back to he and Bad's home. They could hear soft sounds upstairs, giving each other confused looks as Skeppy locked the door behind them and raced upstairs.

"Dad!"

They bolted after, looking into Sapnap's room to see the boy they'd lost to an Enderman earlier bawling his absolute _heart_ out into Skeppy's chest, diamond covered fingers firmly rubbing the boy's back, "Shh, Panda, it's okay, buddy," Skeppy uttered, dragging his son into his lap.

"Sapnap!" the two cried, racing to sit by the two on the bed as well. Sapnap babbled incoherent words, tears rolling down his face as he looked up, looked _destroyed_ as he reached out for them. Skeppy caught his hand, startling the three, but he turned Sapnap's wrist up and showed all of them the three lines remained intact.

The diamond man stared at it a moment longer before he pressed a kiss to Sapnap's forehead and released him, letting him throw his weight into Dream and George instead.

In the distraction as Sapnap cried into Dream and George's shoulders instead, Skeppy pulled his communicator, tapped up a few short messages.

_Skeppy whispered to BadBoyHalo: cut ur time short, need u home Now_

_Skeppy whispered to Puffy: pls come over soon_

_Skeppy whispered to AweSamdude: need u over here rn kids got in trouble_

It was the most logical course of action - and no surprise to Skeppy that the first knock came within minutes. It was more of a surprise that it was Sam that arrived first, but then, perhaps that made sense.

"Sam!" Skeppy greeted as he let the creeper hybrid step inside, armor donned and a trident in his fingers. "Skeppy!" The hybrid greeted in turn with a kind smile before he turned more serious. "What happened?"

"I messaged Puffy and Bad, they'll be here soon. The kids are upstairs safe _now_ , can you wait til they get here?" Sam nodded, sharing a smile with Skeppy again before he offered, "I'll make tea, you look tired, Skeppy."

The diamond man huffed, shoulders dropping as he lifted his headbox briefly to give Sam such a _tired_ look. "I'm fuckin' _exhausted_ , dude."

Sam nodded, pulling him into a tight hug before he was off making tea and Skeppy went and dropped himself onto the couch.

Only a few minutes after Sam came Puffy, however, and Skeppy was dragged into a hug by the sheep hybrid this time when he hissed frustration that Bad was taking the longest, but she received the same explanation - the boys were safe now, he'd call them down and explain when Bad got there, and she could sit.

She instead opted to help Sam in the kitchen, and Skeppy was a little more than half asleep on the couch when the door opened again.

"S'geppy?" The voice had him blinking open tired eyes, looking up into the glowing whites of his husband. "Took you long enough," Skeppy uttered, accepting a gentle hand to help him sit up.

Skeppy was the one to call the boys down after the three adults were sat on the couch with tea, more cups and the kettle on the coffee table in case they wanted more. Bad was too nervous, though, tail flicking this way and that until Puffy leaned on him and Sam wrapped a gentle hand around the giant demon's wrist, squeezing it gently.

Moments later, Skeppy came down with the kids and the parents were immediately alert. The three looked _wrecked_ , blood stained Dream and George's clothes and tear stains tracked down Sapnap's cheeks.

"What happened?" Puffy breathed, open arms accepting her duckling when Dream dropped himself beside her, leaning into her. Sam was much the same, drawing George down into his lap an hugging him tight when the boy whined. Skeppy kept a firm hand on Sapnap's shoulder, keeping the teen pressed to his side.

"We've had a little incident tonight," Skeppy started, shooting Dream a look when the teen immediately snapped back, "It wasn't a _little_ fucking _incident_ ," only for Puffy to hush him, Bad tensing but not uttering _language_ like usual. Skeppy didn't blame him.

"Our boys stayed out too late," the diamond man carried on, sighing. "I think it's time to start training."

"Are you sure?" Puffy asked and, in response, Skeppy stepped behind Sapnap, resting both hands on his shoulders and gently pushing his son into Bad's arms.

"Sappy died tonight."

The panicked reactions were instant, everyone only _someone_ quelled when Skeppy reached over, grabbed his hand and showed off the three lines. "He was _lucky_ ," Skeppy tacked on with a sigh. "We _need_ to start training them. _Properly_."

"Agreed," Sam nodded, running fingers through George's hair to soothe his son when the boy whimpered, clenching Sam's shirt in his hands.

"We- we _tried_ to protect him," George said, sniffling as Bad looked at him, expression soft while he held Sapnap on his lap.

Dream cleared his throat, surprising everyone when he slowly lifted his hand, showed off the pearl he'd gotten. "I was... Mad. I still had my iron shovel from earlier," He uttered, swallowing back anymore tears as Puffy's fingers gently brushed his hair back. "It- it was an Enderman. Sappy looked up, saw- saw _it_ , and... I killed it."

Puffy took the pearl out of Dream's hands, cooing as she rubbed his back, peppered his head in kisses as she attempted to soothe him further.

"We'll start tomorrow," Bad finally said, voice soft. His claws gently scratched Sapnap's scalp, running through his hair as his son leaned into him, shivering. "I don't think the boys wanna separate," Skeppy stated, an amused tone to his voice as George and Dream's hands immediately shot out, catching both of Sapnap's and causing the boy to weakly laugh against Bad.

"You guys can take the guest room, we'll deal with this in the morning, cool?"

Agreements went around and everyone slowly packed up, heading up to the bedrooms. Skeppy wasn't surprised when George and Dream trailed after Sapnap into their friend's room. The diamond man helped Bad finish clean up and when he checked on them after, he found Dream and George sandwiching Sapnap between them, the three already asleep.

He'd never been more relieved than when he finally crawled into bed with Bad, letting the demon drag his husband close and curl around him, tail draping over the diamond man.

Skeppy sighed against him, running gentle fingers along his arm when he felt the other man trembling against him, and he hushed him softly with kisses peppered against his neck and collarbone. "It'll be okay, Bad," Skeppy uttered against him, smiling at the gentle squeeze Bad's tail gave him.

"I know, S'geppy, I just..."

"It wasn't permanent. Repeat."

"It... Wasn't permanent."

"We'll train them tomorrow?"

"We- we'll train them tomorrow."

"Everything is _okay_."

Bad took a deep, shaky breath. "Everything is... Okay."

"I promise, Bad. It'll be okay. We'll train them tomorrow, and they'll be okay. _Trust me_."

"I do."

"I love you, Bad."

The demon pressed a kiss to the crown of his head, smiling against him. "I love you too, S'geppy. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bad."


	15. Dads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if it were Ant that found him?

Taking in _strays_ wasn't exactly new to them. They'd done it before, taking in lost children and raising them or assisting them. Most of the time, they'd give the children a safe haven, and after a little while, the kids would thank them for their help and finally return home to their families.

The only one that ever asked to stay was a cat hybrid named Antfrost. Ant was a good kid that got on with Bad and Sam perfectly; like the puzzle piece they didn't know they were missing until Ant, eyes tearing up and ears flat to his head, asked if he could _s_ _tay_.

Bad cried his absolute _heart_ out the day Ant grabbed his hand and called him 'dad'. Sam had laughed and lifted Ant up into his arms, gleefully spinning their son around.

They still took in lost children over the years, teaching them, protecting them, loving them and taking them home when they were ready. Ant always treated the others with all the love and respect the cat had to offer, comforting with tight hugs and soft purrs or helping them learn something as simple as how to cook.

Things changed a little when Ant was out one day, playing in the nearby woods with Bad's voice ringing in his head when he wandered too close to the edge.

_Stay safe, come back before dark, do not leave the fenced area! Be good, my little muffin!_

But Ant could hear something; a wailing coming from the distance, just beyond the fence Sam had put up to keep the children in and the threats out. It's not that Ant was a constantly rebellious child, not that he _sets out_ to terrify his parents, but he was a curious cat, and sometimes, he'd sneak beyond the fence to explore and find flowers and rocks. He never strayed _too_ far, just enough to see the clearing in the woods and the little magical pond that lay there.

So, following the wailing his sharp ears picked up, Ant found the hole in the metal and snuck out, twisting this way and that through the brush until he found himself back by the pond he'd found all those months ago.

The wailing had quieted, and Ant had to strain to hear something beyond chirping birds and wildlife, but he could hear sniffles, little whimpers so the nine year old wandered further in, following the sound to...

A rock.

It was glittering and so pretty under the sunshine, _diamond_ , his mind filtered in.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked the... Rock, fingers twisting together in the silence.

The rock shifted, big, watery brown eyes peeked up from under it, and Ant knelt down, offering a smile and a hand. "It's okay, don't cry. Are you all alone?" the rock was moved, changing until, after a moment, all that sat in front of Ant was.. A baby.

He was so small, with spots of diamond encrusted along his tan skin, his dark hair a mess.

The moment the baby started crying again, fat tears rolling down his diamond freckled cheeks, Ant panicked, drawing him close in a gentle hug and hushing him, even rocking the boy. "It's okay," The child uttered, gentle fingers running through messy hair and lightly scratching the baby's head with his claws. When the baby continued crying, Ant began to purr, tucking the baby's head against the crook of his neck to listen to the purrs.

The sound seemed to soothe the little one, calming his cries into soft whimpers that eventually also quieted down into content silence.

"Come on," Ant whispered, adjusting the diamond boy against his chest as he carefully stood up. Little hands gripped his shirt, a whine leaving the toddler until Ant's tail curled around him as well, his purrs increasing in volume. "Shhh, hush, buddy, it's okay, I'm taking you with me," He murmured.

The boy was soothed again, soft whines or fussy noises muffled against Ant's shirt as the cat carried home.

Crawling through the hole in the fence was quite the task, but when Ant approached the house, the diamonds expanded along the boy's skin, covering and shielding him in the hard gemstone - and making him look more like the gemstone / rock Ant had discovered earlier.

He went up to the door after adjusting the boy to more carefully hold him, calling for his parents. "Dad! Papa! I have something to show you!" Ant called, nuzzling his fuzzy cheek against the stones and hoping the child could feel it and perhaps not be so _scared_.

Sam looked so confused, and Bad looked startled when the two came out to see Ant holding what looked like the biggest diamond they'd ever seen.

Ant grinned at them as Skeppy peered up, both watching the startled expressions on their faces. "Look at this _sick_ rock I found!" Ant announed.

Bad and Sam blinked slowly, staring as Sam cleared his throat and asked, "Why... Does that rock have _eyes_?"

Skeppy had changed back after, diamonds sinking back into their places in his skin as the tiny boy hid his face in Ant's shoulder again, whining as Sam's eyes widened and Bad gasped.

"Where did you find him?" Sam questioned as Bad crouched down, held his hands out and let Ant walk into him, answering, "Um... Nearby... He won't let go of me." Bad nodded, picking them both up and cooing softly, a little purr leaving the demon as well and causing the once again teary eyed child to look up again.

The boy seemed mesmerized by Bad, babbling something incoherent as Ant laughed quietly and watched the toddler's little hands press to Bad's cheeks, making the demon smile brightly.

The little boy seemed to like Bad, but the waterworks started again when Ant let Bad take the child from him, tiny hands reaching out for the cat as he whined and whimpered.

They very quickly found out the baby was quite attached to Antfrost, whining or tearing up whenever they tried to separate him from the cat.

It was difficult giving the boy a bath when he cried his little heart out any time Ant seemed too far away, and Bad and Sam had to hold in laughter any time they had to separate the boys in the process of cleaning and clothing the child because he would cry out, wails bouncing off the walls of their home and bringing Ant skidding back into the room with demands to know what they were doing and if he was _okay_.

Bad and Sam felt _immeasurable_ relief when they finally got the two settled in Ant's bed together for a long nap, watching from the doorway as their son curled around the diamond baby and purred loudly, arms gently holding him close to the cat's chest. The two were happily settled, the baby finally quiet as his little hands gripped Ant's shirt, keeping him close.

"Looks like we have another one," Sam uttered fondly, arm around Bad's waist leading his husband out and back to the living room where they could settle until the boys woke up.

"He's so _small_ ," Bad whispered, tail flicking in mild agitation as he looked at Sam, brows furrowed. "Where did Ant _find_ him, do you think? I'm not sure I believe it when he said _nearby_..." Sam nodded, uttering his agreement as he gently rubbed Bad's back, smiling at the low purrs as the two sat down together. "Maybe he went beyond the fence," Sam suggested, chuckling at the appalled look on the other's face. "No, my muffin is a _good_ muffin, he would never!" Bad denied, making his husband laugh as he was pulled down, happily tucking himself against the four legged creeper's chest despite how large the demon was. It was quite a feat to fit both of them onto the couch, but Sam had plenty of practice. "Take a nap, we'll ask Ant when he wakes up, okay, Bad? Rest for now." His fingers gently ran through Bad's hair and the demon's purr grew in volume, nuzzling his head carefully against Sam's shoulder.

It didn't take long for Bad to drop, and Sam just chuckled softly under him, pressing a soft kiss to the top of the demon's head before he closed his eyes as well, hoped to get a nice nap in before everyone woke up and the chaos began again.


	16. Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I didn't mean to..."

Bad liked to pride himself on being a patient person, keeping his cool in tough situations and using his words to solve problems when things got too tough.

Sam was always the same, using his words first - _and_ second, even third, but if it well and truly didn't work, he'd turn to other means. Sam would always stay peaceful as long as he possibly could and as a creature made solely for death and violence, Bad, who had so much blood on his hands over the years, envied that skill.

And times like these, when Bad's few buttons were pushed and his voice rose, he wish he had the _truly_ unending patience of Sam.

Their little family had gotten along perfectly, growing together almost seamlessly through the years. Though, as Skeppy grew, the boy became mischievous just like Ant, learning pranks, little tricks both dangerous and not and even occasionally foul language from his brother.

And that particular day, little eleven year old Skeppy had been pushing all Bad's buttons, pulling harmless pranks, climbing trees a bit too tall, swearing when he inevitably fell and scraped himself.

And eventually, Bad grew truly frustrated, fed up with Skeppy's bratty attitude and foul language and chaos, and he rose his voice. Skeppy rose his own right back, teasing his father until Bad _truly_ sounded angry, tail flicking rapidly behind him as the diamond boy shrunk back as Bad scolded him again. The demon didn't know just how scary he looked, 9 foot tall, towering over his tiny son as he spoke loudly, scolded him for bad language and dangerous acts.

He wished it wasn't just he and Skeppy home alone, but Sam and Ant had gone hunting together, leaving Bad to look after their youngest by himself.

And clearly that wasn't panning out.

Fianlly, Skeppy turned away from Bad, darting down the hall. Bad opened his mouth to call for him, but he could see the diamonds begin to cover his skin, something he did when trying to _hide_.

So Bad left him be, frustrated and unsure of what to do. He knew he shouldn't raise his voice, he knew Skeppy didn't know any better; he was a little _kid_ , he was still learning. But Ant had never been as chaotic as Skeppy was, never been as adamant to throw himself into bad situations for _fun_ or to swear and taunt and tease just to get a rise out of his family.

The demon left him alone, trying to push all his focus into cleaning armor, sharpening weapons and polishing tools, cleaning up their little home and putting things away. He managed to distract himself for a few hours, and when Ant and Sam came home, gave him hugs and asked where Skeppy was, he didn't have an answer.

So he told Sam and Ant what happened, that he lost his temper - that Skeppy turned diamond and ran off. Boy, he knew that nasty look Ant shot him would haunt him for a while as the cat ran off to find his brother and Sam wrapped his arms around Bad, giving his husband a firm squeeze.

"It'll be okay," Sam uttered, fingers rubbing Bad's back as the demon remained silent for a moment before a soft whine escaped him and he leaned down to bury his face in the creeper's shoulder, clawed fingers gently twisting into Sam's shirt.

"What if he hates me?" The demon whined as the other chuckled, so softly hushing him as he peppered soft kisses to the top of Bad's head, cooing and soothing him. "It's okay, Bad, just breathe," He murmured. "Skeppy doesn't hate you. Bad, love, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were his favorite person."

"But..."

"Bad, you're important to him, he _loves_ you. He doesn't hate you. Just breathe, come take a nap with me for a little while and let Ant calm him down. When he's ready, he'll talk to you."

Bad didn't respond this time, swallowing as he nodded against Sam's shoulder, loosening his hold while he let his husband lead him to their bedroom for the two to curl up and sleep the day off.

The moon was high in the sky and Bad was in the middle of making dinner when he heard footsteps padding into the room. He didn't turn around though, figuring it was Ant as he said, "Dinner's almost ready, did you wash up?"

"Yeah.."

He stopped, turning his head to see Skeppy, the little boy's fingers twisted together in front of him and his head hung. He looked like the perfect picture of guilt, and Bad's expression softened as he stepped over, crouching down beside Skeppy.

He gave him time, waiting as the boy shifted before swallowing, diamonds still covering his hands that he gently _tinged_ them together when he let go and after a moment, he finally spoke. "'m sorry for swearing," he shifted, glanced up helplessly at Bad before looking back down. "An'... An' for gettin' in trouble... 'n fighting with you.. 'm sorry, dad, please don't be mad at me..."

"Oh, S'geppy..."

The boy looked up as Bad reached out, and he let his dad pick him up, whining when he was tucked against the crook of the demon's neck and a low purr rumbled from said demon's chest. "Oh, hon, I'm sorry for yelling," Bad breathed, pressing a few kisses to the side of the diamond boy's head. "I'm so sorry for losing my temper, I never meant to hurt you, baby, I could _never_ stay mad at you," the void demon continued, rocking the child in his arms a little to soothe the cries and soft sounds he tried to stifle against his cloak.

"Do you wanna finish dinner with me, S'geppy? It's your favorite," Bad cooed, and after a moment, Skeppy lifted his head from his shoulder, sniffling a little as he nodded.

The two worked together, teasingly bickering - fake arguments that always ended with one or the other cooing a soft, "I love you!" that put an end to it.

When Ant and Sam were called in for dinner, they found Bad serving them with Skeppy sat on his shoulders with a bright smile on his face, no longer covered in his diamonds as his cheek rested against Bad's head, finally calmed.


	17. Affection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad is scarily tall.

Bad is a very tall demon, with a build that matches well.

His tail wags like a dog, the tips of his horns are incredibly sharp, he has a demon form scarier than anything a lot of people had ever seen. Large, incredibly disproportionate, only communicates in growls and chest-deep noises, claws and teeth sharper than usual. The family had seen him in this form only a handful of times when things were at their worst, but they were never scared of him, not really.

But Bad is a demon, and Bad is _nine foot tall._ Towers well over his two children and his partner. Even Sam at his own seven foot four towers over the boys, but _Bad_...

Skeppy had been asked a couple times by his friends, is he afraid? Is there truly a reason to _fear_ the giant demon? Even _Technoblade_ is a level of afraid of Bad, something Skeppy laughs his heart out about quite often.

Tommy and Tubbo asked, Fundy and Red asked, Ranboo and Niki asked. He always laughed, smiled, and told them the same thing.

_Oh there's plenty reason to be afraid of Bad. But I'm never afraid of him._

Even when the two had an explosive argument over stupid shit, be it at home or in public, Skeppy was never afraid.

Skeppy had always been an emotional kid, often if he grew upset, it would be covered up, hidden behind a mask of fury and anger, so it was all too easy for him to fight with Bad so often. But one day when it seemed so much _worse_ , Niki asked the question; _do you even like Bad?_

He would forever be embarrassed and ashamed at how quickly the tears came at the very thought, would never admit to his hiding his face in Niki's shoulder when he was hugged tight, bid her a quick goodbye to race out and find Bad after.

Bad, who he found walking out on the path, visibly stressed as he spoke to Quackity and Puffy.

"Bad!" His cry had the demon quickly turning only for the five foot eight human to slam into him, not so much as making the demon stumble from the size difference. Skeppy was quick to hold tight to his guardian, face buried against his stomach as his fingers clenched tightly into his cloak. "S'geppy?" Bad asked softly, clawed fingers ever so gently scratching through the boy's hair. "I'm sorry," the boy whined, well aware of the eyes on him, but he didn't care. It was so easy for the large man to pick him up, to practically cradle Skeppy in his arms as the diamond boy's arms wrapped around his neck, face tucked against his neck. "I didn't mean to yell, I was just upset, I'm _sorry_!"

"S'geppy, it's _okay_ ," his dad soothed, peppering soft kisses to the top of his head, a purr rumbling in his chest as it often did when he held Skeppy. "I'm not mad, it's alright, we're okay."

He spent the rest of the time with Puffy and Quackity shamelessly carrying Skeppy around, not that the boy said much or really did much other than hold tightly to Bad, face hidden against his neck. When Bad finally went home, it wasn't so much _his_ choice as Puffy giggling into her hand, the sheep pointing out with a smile that Skeppy was very clearly _out_ against him. Bad glanced down as best he could, found Skeppy really was asleep in his arms. Bad silenced at loud noises or teases from Quackity with a single look before his purring intensified, he bid them goodbye and went home.

Things like this happened quite often. Once, Skeppy had climbed his way up into a tall tree, laughing at the confused, startled looks on Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo's faces as the teenagers questioned what he was doing, why he was so high up. Niki had even come along, fussing and worrying he'd hurt himself, but he looked to see Bad walking the path with Puffy and Quackity again, gave the teenagers and Niki a big grin and said, "Watch."

When he was close enough, Skeppy gleefully yelled, "Bad!" The first time he'd seen the man _all day_. Bad, rather than fussing, absolutely lit up at the sight of Skeppy, his arms shooting out just as Skeppy jumped, warm weight slamming into the demon and _actually_ taking him to the ground this time, the two falling in a giggly pile on the wooden path as Bad's arms wrapped tightly around the boy, the others watching in surprise and fond amusement as the two held each other tightly. "I swear, you two," Puffy said fondly, while Quackity snorted and asked, "Has he done that more than once?" to which Bad laughed again, nuzzling his cheek against the absolutely _glowing_ Skeppy's hair. "Yeah," he answered, chuckling as his son tacked on, "Bad _always_ catches me."

"Has he ever _not_ caught you?" Tubbo asked out of curiosity, watching the demon's tail even wrap around Skeppy's waist as the diamond boy's fingers gripped Bad's shirt, a big smile on his face. "Once," he hummed. "But it was a short fall and Bad felt like _shit_ after-"

"Language!"

"Well you _did_! You acted like I actually _broke_ something!"

"You did!"

"Oh _please_ , Bad, I sprained my ankle and you carried me around _all day_."

Even when the two were alone, they were clingy, and the size difference was clearly noticeable.

It was one of the few times they saw Bad's true form. On a warm summer night, some of them went to visit the Badlands only to find a very _large_ , and very _disproportionate_ demon, tail, claws and horns even bigger than normal. It looked like it was _asleep_ and, had they not looked closer and found Skeppy, comically small in the giant demon's arms, they would have never known it was Bad.

"What _is_ that?" Puffy asked, to which a little more than half asleep Skeppy looked up, eyelids drooping as he relaxed in the demon's arms. "'s Bad," He answered softly, snuggling closer to the beast and huffing a laugh when arms wrapped further around him, tucking him closer to it's chest, purrs _incredibly_ loud.

"Why does he look like that?" Quackity asked and, after a moment of silence, Skeppy seemed to shift, an arm draping over Bad's void black ones as he curled up a little in the beast's arms. His arm was incredibly bandaged up, red soaking gauze and Puffy gasped. "What _happened_?"

He seemed uneasy now, discomforted as he slowly answered, "Someone... Took some of my diamonds," He answered. "Bad saved me, Sam wrapped my arm."

"Who?" They didn't look happy - they looked infuriated; furious someone would mess with the little family they considered all to be such close friends. "Who would do that? Did Bad... _Take care_ of them or something? Do you need to be rebandaged?" Not wanting to deal with the questions in any capacity, Skeppy curled closer, ducked his head under Bad's arm for a moment to breathe before he adjusted again, pressing a cool hand to the demon's cheek. "Bad," He called despite the immediate protests. "Baaaad."

A moment later, the demon's eyes fluttered open, tired glowing eyes landing on Skeppy as a soft _mrrp?_ akin to a cat left him. Skeppy nuzzled their noses together softly before he pressed closer, tucking his face against Bad's neck. "Puffy 'n Quacky are here," he murmured, admitting almost weakly, "I don't wanna talk."

It seemed the demon understood this weakness perfectly, and a moment later, he wasn't a big scary beast, long or disproportionate - he was just _Bad_ , sitting there comfortably with Skeppy tucked in his lap. The demon was careful to lift Skeppy's arm, eyeing the bandage before he nudged his son, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "Go ask Sam to redo your bandages, okay?" He said, quickly tacking on when the boy whined, "I'll come find you after, okay?"

"Promise?"

Bad gently hooked his pinkie with Skeppy's, smiling brightly at him. "I promise, S'geppy. Go get cleaned up and ready for bed."

He waited until Skeppy stumbled off into the house before he handled the questionnaire himself.

They were invited to stay the night, and they went in to find Skeppy curled against Sam this time, the creeper's fingers of one hand running through his hair as the other held a book he was focused on. Skeppy's arm was rebandaged then, bloodied bandages in the nearby trashcan. "Ant's with Red," Sam told Bad, glancing up and greeting Puffy and Quackity with a smile.

"Come on, S'geppy, bed time," Bad hummed, and they watched in barely hidden amusement and giggles as the demon reached his hands under Skeppy's arms, lifting the other up like he weighed _nothing_ and tucking him against his chest. Skeppy's arms curled around his neck, peering over Bad's shoulder and stifling a yawn into him as he waved goodbye to Puffy and Quackity.

Bad is a large demon; tall with a big build. He's strong, he's _smart_ , and whether he's an incredibly long and lanky demon with glowing eyes and sharp claws, teeth, horns and tail or he's only nine foot six, when he's just _Bad_ , tall and scary but goofy and very paternal, Skeppy well and truly could not feel _safer_.

As Bad tucked him in, left him with a kiss to his forehead, he heard a soft mumble that he returned with a big smile before he closed the door with a soft _click_.

_"I love you lots, dad... Goodnight..."_

_"Sweet dreams, S'geppy, I love you too."_


End file.
